A Tale of Ghosts and Ice
by Toa Naruto
Summary: He's a normal boy from a slightly abnormal family. She's a princess gifted with extraordinary powers. One day, their paths cross when a freak accident changes their lives forever. Now forced to live together to hide their similar "problems", the duo find themselves drawn to one another with each passing day. But can they survive the trials brought on by the phantoms from the past?
1. The Stage is Set

**A Tale of Ghosts and Ice**

**Hey-o, everyone. I know that it's been a while since you've heard from me, but I've been having a bit of trouble with writers block and personal matters. I've also got kind of caught up with being a beta reader, so there's that, too. So I've decided to give another crossover a shot. After working with FrozenLantern's story, _The Princess and Me_, I thought that I might try my hand at a DANNY PHANTOM and FROZEN crossover, too. Unlike the one I've co-written, this story will take place in the FROZEN setting. Like all my other stories, I own nothing! **

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**Chapter 1: The Stage is Set **

Arendelle. A beautiful coastal kingdom that was known for a great deal of things, both good and bad. It had the most beautiful summers imaginable, yet had to endure the most trying of winters. Its population were made up of kind and welcoming people, but also had the unfortunate tendency to let their fear of the unknown sway them into acting rashly. Even the royal family was not excluded from these supposed contradicting attributes. Although the incumbent king and queen were fair and gracious rulers that were loved by all, their sudden reclusive behavior had left everyone puzzled and confused; the palace gates were just suddenly closed to the public without any explanation. That wasn't to say that the king and queen completely isolated themselves from their subjects, as they still made the occasional public appearance for certain events and took an active role in ruling their kingdom, but they were especially tight-lipped about their family and what went on in the palace. As a result, many rumors about the royal family began floating around Arendelle, ranging from outrageous tales of scandals to absurd claims that they were hiding someone cursed by powerful sorcery within their walls. Although the monarchs never reacted to such gossip while under the scrutiny of the people, the two couldn't help but feel slightly unnerved at how unintentionally close some of those speculations hit the figurative nail on the head.

Their eldest daughter, Elsa, wasn't exactly_ cursed _per say, rather she was _gifted_ with mysterious powers that allowed her to manipulate ice and snow. These same powers emerged a year after she was born, much to the surprise of her parents. Despite their initial shock from such a discovery, Agdar and Idun truly loved their daughter and did everything they could to help Elsa with her powers. For a while there hadn't been any major mishaps aside from a few walls being flash frozen, and the platinum blonde managed to interact with her parents and her little sister, Anna, without any major difficulty; the girl even used her powers to play with her younger sibling. It was shortly after Elsa turned eight, however, that things took a turn for the worst.

It had started off as something innocent enough: Anna woke up before Elsa and wanted to play with her sister, just like they had periodically done in the past. But in the midst of their games, the platinum blonde accidentally struck her sister in the face with her ice powers, rendering her unconscious and cold to the touch. Hearing the disturbance, the king and queen quickly gathered their children and raced to the Valley of the Living Rock to get help from the area's inhabitants: a colony of benevolent mountain trolls. Luckily for the royal family, the troll king Pabbie was able to reverse the damage done to Anna, with only a single white streak in her hair remaining to show for her previous plight. Unfortunately, part of Pabbie's treatment included removing all traces of magic from her body, including the memories of her older sister having powers. Fortunately, he was able to leave all of the fun times that they'd shared, albeit they had to be heavily altered. The wise king troll then imparted some advice to the elder princess about her future. He told her of how her powers would become stronger as she grew older, and that she would need to learn how to properly control them. Although the troll king mentioned how there would be both beauty _and _danger regarding her cyrokinetic abilities, he also emphasized that _fear _would be her greatest enemy.

Figuring that the troll was referring to the fear of his subjects, King Agdar took extreme measures to keep his family safe. He closed the palace gates to the public (except for cases of great importance, but even then the visitors were sworn to secrecy), heavily reduced the attending staff, and moved Anna into a separate bedroom away from her sister. To help Elsa better rein in her powers, the king assisted the girl in changing her lifestyle to center around three principles: _Conceal it. Don't feel it. Don't let it show_. He'd even gotten her into the habit of wearing gloves so that she could come in contact with objects and people without accidentally coating them with frost.

In the beginning he'd thought that his precautions were working, but as time moved on and Elsa grew older, Agdar saw that this wasn't the case. His daughter spent most of her time secluded in her room and focusing on keeping her powers contained, with Pabbie's vision of her possible future at the forefront of her mind. There were still some instances when she unintentionally froze things, which only worsened her already frazzled nerves. By the time she turned eleven, the girl's anxieties had gotten so severe that she'd refrained from interacting with anyone to prevent any more incidents like the one she had with Anna. It had gotten to the point that he and Idun couldn't even hug her anymore; she just wouldn't let them anywhere near them.

It tore Agdar and Idun apart to see their eldest child in such a state: keeping everything and everyone at arm's length, and resigning herself to a restrictive lifestyle in order to prevent her secret from being revealed. It was especially hard for the former considering that it was through _his advice_ that Elsa was still facing so many difficulties with her powers. He wanted to do something to help reverse the possible damage he may have unintentionally inflicted; to bring back his daughter's more lively self. The only problem was that he didn't know how to best approach the problem. Fortunately, as if by some stroke of luck, an ideal opportunity presented itself to him, which was why he found himself standing before his daughter's bedroom door; Agdar only hoped that she would be willing to at least consider his proposition. He knocked on the closed door three times, and waited patiently. Once he heard Elsa's voice granting him passage into her personal quarters, he quickly entered and carefully shut the door behind him.

Elsa's room, which was the one that she and Anna had originally shared, hadn't gone through many alterations in the past six years. The wallpaper still had the pale purple and white "snowflakes" design, and her canopy bed was still near the large window so that she could have an excellent view of the kingdom beyond the palace gates. Off to a corner on the right side of the room lay a fireplace that was lit during the cold winter nights. Despite these similarities, there were still several noticeable changes that showcased the differing personalities between the two sisters. Whereas Anna's room was messy and looked as if a typhoon had ransacked it, Elsa kept her room neat and tidy. In addition to her bedroom's cleanliness, there were more intellectually-stimulating items such as a chess set, a large model of an ancient Greek ship, and a decent sized collection of books stored in the shelves along the walls

The king easily found his eldest daughter sitting on the edge of her bed, with a book in her gloved hands. The fourteen-year-old princess was dressed in an aquamarine blouse adorned with black embroidery designs. On top of it was a lightweight blue jacket that had thin black bands at the ends of the sleeves. Completing her outfit was a long blue skirt that reached down to her ankles, turquoise stockings, and fancy black loafers. Her platinum blonde hair was tied in a simple French braid and casually draped over her right shoulder. A black hair band was on top of her head, holding her bangs out of her eyes. Hearing the door close, the girl's glacial blue eyes darted to where he was standing, alert yet nervous.

"Father, is there something wrong?" asked Elsa in a quiet and polite tone.

Agdar took a few steps closer to the girl, but made sure that he kept his distance so as not to unnerve her. "Nothing of the sort, Elsa, but there is something that I'd like to discuss with you." he said, garnering her full attention. "In two days' time, my personal advisors and I are going to witness a private scientific demonstration that's going to be held in the castle. I was wondering if you would be interested in attending the event with me."

Elsa's eyes widened at the offer. Ever since adopting her more withdrawn lifestyle, she'd quickly taken up reading as one of her new hobbies. It didn't matter if the subject matter was fictional of factual, she was interested in reading just about any book that she could get her hands on. It was through her reading that the platinum blonde princess developed an interest in history and science, which made the king's invitation all the more tempting. Bearing witness to a new marvel of science was something that she'd dreamed of seeing, and having such an opportunity being presented to her almost seemed too surreal to believe.

Unfortunately, her budding enthusiasm was subsequently followed by the familiar, overbearing stressful feelings that she'd grown all too accustomed to ever since her accident with Anna. Accepting her father's invitation meant that she'd have to leave the sanctity of the palace, and possibly be seen by strangers. While she did long to leave her home and be out in the open again, her terrifying anxieties often kept her from acting on those desires. The dreaded possibility of her losing control of her powers and exposing her secret to everyone quickly assailed her mind, followed swiftly by the potential ramifications that her accident would have on her family. Contemplating those dire outcomes caused Elsa to subconsciously coat her book's cover with a small amount of frost, before she became aware of her actions and quickly thawed the small ice particles. After calming herself down, she quickly realized one important detail that her father hadn't mentioned.

"What about Mother and Anna? What will they be doing during the presentation?" she asked.

If the king was caught off guard by her question, he didn't show it. "Actually, your mother and I have already discussed the matter, and made plans accordingly. If you _did_ decide to attend the demonstration with me, your mother and your sister would spend the day out in the kingdom. By the time they arrive back home, the event will be over, and the scientists will be meeting with my advisors and me at a disclosed location to discuss their invention in further detail. So, Elsa, what do you say?"

The teenage princess became silent once again as she took in her father's explanation. The major glaring problem that had been troubling her was the possibility of interacting with her sister. Despite all of the time that had passed since the incident, she was still extremely wary about being anywhere near Anna. Just thinking about interacting with her sibling was enough to bring up bad memories of that day. Of course, _that_ would usually start a chain reaction: her powers would unexpectedly build, to which she would desperately try to repress it, resulting in the pent-up power building up until it became too much for her to control and she had no choice but to release it. Now that she knew that Anna would be thoroughly distracted with something else, the demonstration was looking more and more appealing. Yet despite her desire to attend, her years of being a shut-in had made her exceedingly hesitant about socializing with other people, and she figured that going to the event was too much of a risk to take. The cyrokinetic princess was determined to keep her powers hidden from the world, even if it meant passing up on things that she'd enjoy.

Turning her attention back to her father, she was about to politely decline his invitation when the platinum blonde caught sight of the look on his face. There was a small glimmer of hope in those green eyes, burning like a small ember. The refusal that Elsa wanted to say got caught up in her throat when her eyes met his. It was easy for the princess to see how much her male parent was really wishing that she would accept the offer, which made her contemplate about how many strings he had to pull in order to obtain this rare chance for her. If that were truly the case, then she just _couldn't _say no.

Regardless of her old fears gnawing at her resolve, she managed to keep herself calm and contemplate her situation. It had been six years since that horrid, life-changing day, and she had been extremely vigilant in keeping her cyrokinetic abilities under control ever since. While she _did_ have a few mishaps in the past, she never had any major catastrophes, which meant that it was possible that she was finally getting better with her "problem". Plus, this demonstration could help ease herself back into the public eye. If she was able to participate in a social gathering without any mishaps, then perhaps her parents would be willing to ease off on the restrictions that they'd placed on her. After all, if she was going to be the next queen, she was going to have to get used to the responsibilities that came with the position, including all of the public proceedings.

Taking a deep breath, Elsa faced the king with a confident smile. "I would love to attend the demonstration, Father."

Almost immediately, she saw her father's expression brighten. "Excellent!" exclaimed Agdar. "I'll make the proper arrangements, and let your mother know of our plans." Elsa could tell from the tone of his voice that her father was extremely happy with her decision, and began to feel excited once again about witnessing a possible revolutionary scientific breakthrough. Just as the king was about to leave, another question popped into Elsa's mind.

"Father, what exactly is this demonstration going to be about?"

Agdar turned back to his daughter, and smiled. "_That, _my dear Elsa, is a surprise. You'll just have to wait and see." With that, the king quietly exited Elsa's room, leaving her to ponder about the possible subject that the visiting scientists were going to present.

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Vennskapal.***** A medium sized town located in a forested mountainous area that was officially know for two distinctive hallmarks. The first characteristic was the town's culturally diverse population. The citizens of Vennskapal all had ancestral roots that traced back to countries all over the world: China, Algeria, France, Germany, and countless others. Despite the fact that the entire population was well attuned with the world's modern times, they made sure to always keep their ancestral heritage close to their hearts. It was because of this attribute that the town was nicknamed _The Melting Pot._ The town's second most defining quality was the countless technological advancements made by the denizens. With the all of brilliant minds that lived in the town, countless experiments were performed with the intent of improving the technology that was used in everyday life. Whether it was coming up with new designs to make ships faster, creating more effective weaponry for the military, or simply improving normal household tools, Vennskapal was the place to be for all of the latest revolutionary advancements in technology. Several other lands had often commissioned the town's scientists for their work, including notorious kingdoms such as Corona, which only helped spread their revolutionary ideas across the world.

What few people realized, however, was that these positive and endearing qualities only took root at the end of a dark and bloody series of events. While a majority of the world was clueless as to what was the catalyst to the unspeakable debacle that occurred twenty-five years ago, the horrid truth was known only by the more older inhabitants of the town and a select few individuals. As a result of this horrendous period of time, the civilians of Vennskapal had developed an enmity towards anything involving the supernatural, which was passed on to the younger generation. Anyone that showed even the slightest bit of interest towards the forbidden subject were looked down upon by their peers. Yet despite the majority of the population's avoidance of the town's taboo, one family was thoroughly involved with it.

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"Everyone! Everyone, come quick! I have exciting news!" exclaimed a man within the main dining area of his family's home. He was as bulky as a bear, and was rumored to be able to match the animal in terms of strength. The man had blue eyes and short black hair with white streaks running across the sides of his head. The strangest aspect of his appearance, however, was his attire. Instead of the more traditional style of clothing that men his age wore, he was dressed in a large orange outfit that covered his entire body. Although it looked like the entire outfit was just one single piece, it was actually similar to normal clothes, albeit made of some unusual yet durable material. This large, strange man was none other than Jack Fenton.

"Jack, what is it?" The first person to enter the dining area was a woman with brown hair cut in a short pixie style and amethyst eyes. She was by no means short even though she barely came up to Jack's shoulder, and had curves in all the right places, which was quite impressive for a woman in her forties. Like her husband, she too wore a peculiar outfit that covered her body from the neck down. It appeared to be made out of the same material that Jack's was, only hers was turquoise and seemed to accentuate her feminine figure as it stretched across her form.

Soon after the woman's arrival, two teenagers walked in. The tallest and oldest of the pair had teal eyes, and long bright orange hair that was held out of her eyes by an aquamarine cloth. She was dressed in a sleek black blouse and a long sea-green skirt that ended a little past her knees. Behind the girl stood a boy that was about an inch shorter than her. He had his black hair in a messy spiky style, and his eyes were a shade of pale blue. He wore a simple white long-sleeved shirt and blue pants. Both of the young adolescents simply glanced at each other, curious as to what the large man was talking about.

"It's our latest project, Maddie!" exclaimed Jack. "Someone has finally taken a personal interest in it!"

"Really?" asked the youngest out of the four gathered people, his surprise evident in his voice.

"You betcha, Danny, m'boy!" exclaimed Jack. "And get this: we've been invited to present our invention to a private viewing party. If we impress them, they'll further fund our research. We'll finally be able to put Fenton Works™ on the map!"

"Oh, Jack, that's wonderful!" exclaimed Maddie as she threw her arms around Jack in a loving embrace, before sealing his lips with a kiss. Even though Danny was a bit put-off by the sudden display of affection, he was still happy for his parents. Jack and Madeline Fenton (the latter usually going by her nickname, Maddie) were known all throughout Vennskapal as the residential paranormal experts. The married couple were intelligent scientists in their own right, but they preferred to focus their efforts on all matters involving ghosts. As such, they had developed several equipment and weapons specifically to combat and study ghosts. But since they had never had the chance to properly field test their creations on an actual ghost, however, they were left at the "prototype" stage.

Unfortunately, their fascination with the spirits of the deceased didn't exactly do the family many favors with the townspeople, and being the children of ghost hunters/specialists meant that Danny and his older sister received their fair share of heckling from their peers. Sadly for the former, he was the one who usually got the worst of the ridicule since he was more of an easier target in comparison to his prodigy of a sister. That wasn't to say that Danny was a loner; he had two best friends that he'd known since he was a child: a girl known as Samantha Manson (although she preferred to be called Sam), and a boy named Tucker Foley. The three of them got along swimmingly, but because they didn't exactly conform to the more commonly accepted ideals that everyone else had, they were considered to be the "bottom feeders" among their classmates in terms of social standing. Yet despite the seemingly endless taunts he'd endured throughout his life, Danny was pretty content with his life.

"And it gets even better: your mother and I are allowed to bring along one guest each for the demonstration, which is scheduled during you kids' spring break. I figured that all of us could go to this event together." added Jack.

"That's a wonderful idea, dear! It'll be like a family vacation!" agreed Maddie.

The two teens barely managed to hold back the cringes when they heard the idea. Even though they both loved their parents dearly, being involved with their line of work was always a touchy subject for the two Fenton children. It was especially difficult whenever Jack and Maddie gave lectures to the town's scientific board of directors about the developments and breakthroughs they made in their research. The jeering they received from the other kids always seemed to worsen after one of their parents' demonstrations, although the duo never actually told their parents about their situation.

"Um, when exactly is the demonstration scheduled to take place?" asked Danny's sister.

"The official date is this upcoming Sunday, Jazz. We would need to leave tomorrow, however, in order confirm our invitation, on top of making sure that all of the equipment is prepared and that the device is properly constructed."

Jasmine (or simply Jazz for short) drew in a sharp breath through her clenched teeth. "Oooh, talk about bad timing." the redhead said, her expression becoming remorseful. "Sorry, Dad, but I sort of already made plans this weekend. I'd promised the Turners and the Abramsens that I'd tutor their kids in arithmetic on Saturday, and that I'd help Dr. Foss at the office on Sunday."

Danny shot his older sister a subtle disappointed look as he saw his parents' euphoric mood falter. As they were growing up, Jazz had always shown a high sense of maturity for someone her age; she had often referred to herself as an adult in a teenager's body. She'd also stressed on numerous occasions how important it was for family members to support one another when he was still a young kid, but he'd recently started to notice a change in his sibling. Ever since she turned sixteen, Jazz had became more focused on her academic studies, which unintentionally caused the girl to distance herself from the family. When she developed a vested interest in psychology, she began to seek out ways that she could get a successful career in the field, and managed to obtain an internship with the town's top psychologist, Dr. Arn Foss. As a result of her accomplishments, Jazz began to spend even _more_ time away from her family, and would almost always have some prior engagement that just _happened_ to coincide with whatever public demonstration or family outing that had been planned. Although he and his parents were proud of Jazz's success, Danny couldn't help but think that the girl was using her extracurricular activities as a convenient excuse to avoid their folks and any possible embarrassment that their actions might cause.

"Oh...I see. That's a shame." said Jack, his expression becoming increasingly glum. His wife placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, although she too looked somewhat put down.

"I'm really sorry, Mom and Dad, I don't mean to keep-"

"No, no, it's alright, hon." assured Maddie. "Your father and I just got a little overexcited, that's all. We should have asked if you kids had made plans for the weekend first."

While Jazz was somewhat relieved by her mother's comforting words, she still felt somewhat guilty for raining on her parents' parade. Danny, however, was having conflicting feelings about the situation before him. On one hand, his parents were practically giving him a way out of having to attend another one of their "ghostly" demonstrations. That meant that he could avoid an further embarrassment, and begin his spring vacation properly: sleeping in and spending the day doing nothing. Yet at the same time, he hated seeing his parents look so disheartened. Their upcoming presentation was a huge breakthrough for them, and they simply wanted to share their happiness with the whole family; having to hear that their children couldn't (or didn't want to) attend really depressed them. Danny knew exactly what he had to do, even though he wasn't all too thrilled about it.

"Um, actually, I don't really have anything planned this weekend," he began, causing his parents' gaze to focus on him, "so if it's alright, I'd still like to come with you guys."

"That's very kind of you, sweetie, but you don't have to come with us if you don't want to." said Maddie with a gentle smile.

"Yeah, it wouldn't be fair for you to cancel any plans that you've already made with your friends just for our sake." added Jack.

"That's just it, I _really_ don't have any plans. Tucker's going to some fair that's out of town on Saturday, and Sam's been roped into a weekend getaway with her family. Besides, I was just going to spend the weekend lazing around the house, so I figured that-" Danny was abruptly cut off as his father swept him up in a bone-crushing hug, nearly cutting off his air supply.

"Aw, thanks, Dan-o! Just you wait, this will be an experience that you'll never forget!" exclaimed Jack as he tightened his embrace.

"Urk! If you...say...so..., Dad." groaned the teen, trying his best to keep breathing. The moment his male parent released him from his grip, the teen subtly made sure that none of his bones were broken.

Maddie smiled warmly at her youngest child. "Well, if you _really _don't mind, then you're more than welcome to come with us. But just to give you a fair warning, you might need to get your hands dirty and help us prepare our invention."

"No worries. I've watched you and Dad work on that machine from time to time, so I have a pretty decent idea on how the thing works."

"Great!" Suddenly, Jack's eyes widened in brief realization. "_Oh_! I almost forgot, we're going to have to leave bright and tomorrow early if we're to arrive at the checkpoint on time."

Danny mentally groaned at the thought of waking up early on a Saturday, when he realized that his father didn't mention one important detail.

"Er, Dad, _where _exactly is this demonstration taking place?" His mom and sister shot curious glances towards the man in question, which only seemed to make his grin stretch even wider.

"That's the best part. We've been invited, by King Agdar himself, to present our invention in Arendelle!" he announced excitedly.

"What?!"

"You're kidding!"

"_Arendelle_?!" exclaimed Jazz in disbelief. "One of the most prestigious kingdoms in the entire world; the one whose royal family hasn't been seen in public for nearly six years since they closed the palace gates to the public? _That's _the Arendelle you're referring to?!" Danny couldn't help but find the irony of his sister's dilemma amusing. Jazz never bothered to hide her fascination of Arendelle, and would gladly share her interests in the kingdom to anyone that would listen (as well as those that wouldn't). To her, Arendelle was a place of refinement and sophistication; a place where the most highly intellectual scholars lived and worked. She'd always wanted to visit the kingdom, and yet her overachieving tendencies had seemingly cost her the chance to finally do so.

"The one in the same, Jazz!" boomed their father, oblivious to the girl's dismay. "That reminds me, Maddie, we'd better start packing and make sure that we don't leave any important equipment behind." With that, the two adults headed to their workshop located in the basement, leaving their two kids alone.

"Just my luck. The one time I can actually visit Arendelle is when I've got a full schedule on the weekend." groused Jazz.

Danny managed to stamp down his initial urge to gloat over his sister's misfortune once he saw how crestfallen she looked. "Don't worry about it, sis, I'm sure that there'll be other chances for you to travel there. Heck, you might be able to move there for your future career. All the same, I'll be sure to bring you back something special from the kingdom."

Jazz smiled. "Thanks, little brother. But just to give you a fair warning, I'm going to be expecting you tell me everything about Arendelle when you come back home, and I mean _everything_."

"Alright, alright, if you say so." chuckled Danny, as he walked out of the room. He had some packing to do _after_ he told his friends about the day's most recent developments.

_**TO BE CONTINUED...**_

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_**So here's the first chapter of a new story. Now before anyone says anything, let me set the record straight: **_**NO****_, my other stories are NOT going to be abandoned, but they will be updated at a much slower pace. Writer's block is real pain in the ass, and real life isn't really helping things either. So I figured that some time away from my NARUTO-centered stories will help me get the creative juices flowing again. _**

_***The name that I used for Danny's home town (Vennskapal) is based on the word 'Vennskap', which is Norwegian for 'friendship'. I tried find the translation for 'amity', but I couldn't find it. **_

_**Don't forget to Read and Review!**_


	2. A Chance Meeting

**A Tale of Ghosts and Ice**

**Hiddey-Ho, everyone! Here's the next installment. I own nothing!**

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**Chapter 2: A Chance Meeting**

_Saturday_

'_Now I understand why Jazz is so obsessed with Arendelle. This place is amazing!_' thought Danny as he gazed upon the kingdom's village and its bustling inhabitants. The trip from Vennskapal had been a taxing one for the young man, especially since he had to wake up early at 6 AM. After a quick breakfast, Danny helped load the necessary equipment and materials onto the horse-drawn wagons that his parents had rented for the trip. Fortunately, they had the foresight to load the heavier components last afternoon before turning in for the night. After waiting another hour for the hired laborers and horses to arrive, the three-wagon cavalcade set off on their journey. It was still dark outside as the three Fentons traveled down the road, sitting together at the head of the lead wagon. The young teen would've fallen asleep again from the ride if it weren't for the morning's cold air keeping him awake. Luckily, things began to warm up once the sun started to rise, brightening the once dark and dreary sky with a vibrant mixture of reds, oranges, and yellows. The sunlight made the passing landscape look as if it were taken straight out of a portrait, and the palace shimmer like a large jewel from afar.

When the cavalcade finally crossed over the village's security wall, Danny was awestruck by what lay in front of him. The buildings, the cobblestone roads; everything just looked so pristine. The young teen had lived in Vennskapal since he was born, and often dreamed of traveling across the world to see what life was like outside his home. He'd never expected that his first expedition would be to an illustrious location such as Arendelle. Danny could still fondly remember the gobsmacked expressions on Sam and Tucker's faces when he told them of his sudden travel plans; the former was especially jealous of his sudden good fortune as it made her family outing seem all the more bittersweet. Unfortunately for Danny, a certain bully just happened to have overheard the trio's conversation, and felt that it was only proper that he bid farewell to one of his favorite victims "properly".

'_Trust Dash Baxter to never waste an opportunity to cause me grief. It took me __**hours **__for me to wash that mud out of my hair._' He could still feel the phantom sensation of the large globule of mud smacking soundly on the back of his head. It didn't matter that he was a good distance away from the muscular blond at the time; the larger teen's aim was frighteningly accurate. But on the bright side, he was miles away from Dash and his cronies, and had two whole days where he didn't have worry about dealing with his tormentors.

"Quite the sight, eh, Dan-o?" The teen snapped out of his daze to face his beaming father.

"Uh, yeah, it's certainly something." he replied.

"Yes, it is just amazing, isn't it?" added Maddie. "Arendelle is bustling with life, although there doesn't seem to be as many people from the last time I was here. But then again, the palace gates were still open."

One of Danny's eyebrows quirked in confusion. "Wait, you mean that you've visited Arendelle before? When was this?"

Maddie smiled. "Oh, it was way before you and Jazz were born, sweetie. I was still finishing up my tertiary education with your father and a few of our old friends. Our class had traveled here for Dr. Allister's lecture on his theory of metaphysical biology, and then had the following weekend all to ourselves. It was also where your father took me on our very first date, isn't that right, hon?" The smoldering look his mother sent to Jack was quickly returned, prompting Danny to make sure that things between his parents didn't become more...heated.

"Er, did the two of you ever get to see the palace during your weekend trip?"

Luckily for the teen, his impromptu question managed to keep his parents from making out in public.

"Well, we never got go _inside _of the actual palace, but we did go on a tour around the gardens. And let me tell you, they were a work of art!" answered Jack.

"Those rose bushes were just to die for! I was always jealous of how well the gardeners kept those flowers and hedge sculptures; they always looked so alive and vibrant, unlike any of the flowers that I've tried to grow in the past. I remember feeling so disappointed when I heard that the king and queen had closed the gates to the palace, as I'd always wanted to see those gardens again. You were about eight years old when that happened."

"But did you ever find out exactly _why_ they did that, Mom? I mean, it must have been something huge for them to act like that."

Maddie shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Danny. The change just came out of nowhere, without any sort of warning. Not even Arendelle's allies were given explanations for the sudden change. Although, if I had to hazard a guess, I'd assume that there had been some sort of incident within the royal family."

"That's not to say that the royals had completely isolated themselves." interjected Jack. "With a kingdom this large, there are bound to be a few problems to arise every now and then. The king and queen were still attentive to the needs of their people; they made the occasional public appearance, as well as allowed political diplomats into their home. But those appearances are always brief, and the visits were very rare and heavily guarded affairs. That's what makes our appointment all the more significant. The fact that we have this exceptional opportunity to personally present our work to King Agdar is the chance of a lifetime!"

"Yeah...it sure is." Danny didn't really know what else to say, as he knew full well how important this demonstration was for his parents. An awkward silence settled among the family until someone finally decided to speak again.

"I...that is, _we_ wanted to thank you for coming along with us, son."

Danny's eyes whirled towards his father, caught completely off guard by the adult's sudden change in tone. "Um, it's...it's no problem at all." he began. "Like I said, I didn't really have anything else planned for the weekend."

Jack just smiled solemnly. "There's no need for you to keep up the charade, Danny. Your mother and I aren't as oblivious as everyone makes us out to be; we've heard of the rumors that have been floating around us."

"We know that our work isn't that well-received at home, and that you and Jazz get heckled for it by the other kids." added Maddie as she engulfed her son in a loving hug. "We're sorry for all the trouble that we've caused you."

The teen felt sudden upheaval of guilt crawl at his very being, like a knife stabbing into him. The dreaded feeling only got worse as he recalled all of the times that he moaned and complained to his friends about how embarrassing his parents were. "I-It's not that I hate what you guys do. I think that some of your inventions are pretty cool, it just that sometimes the two of you tend to get a little too...overexcited and kind of block out everything else." he said.

"We're…aware of that; at least, we are, now. Still, we wanted to let you know how much we appreciate you coming along to support us, especially since your sister is starting to feel embarrassed about being around us."

"Jazz isn't like that, Mom." Danny said almost immediately, in contrast to his own similar opinion on his sister's new evasive tendencies. "You know how easily she gets caught up in her work that she sometimes forgets things. She even told me how disappointed she was when her schedule prevented her from coming with us." Although he had a feeling that his sister was mainly disappointed about missing out on visiting Arendelle, the young man figured that his parents didn't need to know that.

"You're a sweet boy." said Maddie as she hugged him tighter and placed a chaste kiss on his forehead. Before Danny could say anything, Jack's arm suddenly entrapped him in a one-armed hug.

"Yeah, we couldn't ask for a better son." said Jack as he squeezed the teen to his side in an affectionate manner. "And don't you worry, things are going to change for the better from here on in. After this demonstration, no one in Vennskapal will ever laugh at our family again!" The man's face then took on a more teasy expression, complete with wiggling eyebrows. "And who knows? Maybe you'll even meet a cute girl while we're here."

Danny felt a light blush begin to burn his cheeks from his father's insinuation. "Er...um...yeah. Maybe." he said, despite his pessimism over the prospect of a cute girl ever giving him the time of day. His mother seemed to easily notice his gloomy mood, much to his surprise.

"Oh, don't be like that, Danny." she chimed in. "Who knows? You may just a girl that's like no other Arendelle is a place that's full of opportunities."

"If you say so, Mom." Despite his words, the raven haired teen didn't have much confidence that his luck with the opposite sex would be any better in Arendelle. Back in Vennskapal, his low ranking in popularity, coupled with his family's reputation as ghost fanatics, didn't exactly portray him as prime boyfriend material. Not to mention that even _if_ he did leave a good impression on a girl in the kingdom, the only possible relationship they could have would be a long distance one, and he knew that those never lasted long.

"Alright, we're finally here!" boomed Jack, snapping Danny out of his thoughts. Sure enough, their wagon had stopped in front of a trio of armed soldiers that was waiting for them. Judging by their predominately green uniforms and the yellow crocus embroidered on their hats, it was easy to determine that the men were members of the Arendelle Royal Guard.

Tuning out the conversation his parents was having with the guards, he decided to push aside the negative thoughts that usually plagued his mind. He was in _Arendelle _for crying out loud, and he was determined to make the most of it!

* * *

_Sunday, Arendelle Royal Castle_

Elsa just couldn't sit still in her room. The day of the demonstration had finally come, and she found herself starting to feel like Anna whenever she became overexcited. Speaking of her younger sister, the plan her parents had concocted went off without a hitch; the little princess was practically overjoyed that she'd get the chance to spend the day out of the palace with their mother. Elsa didn't know exactly where the royal duo were going, only that they'd be away from where the scientists were going to present their invention, and by proxy, her.

Things had started off wonderfully for the platinum blonde. The sun shone, the weather was fair, and she didn't have any problems keeping her powers under check! She couldn't even find a single speck of frost anywhere in her room when she woke up. This certainly raised her spirits, as she saw the snowless sight as a sign that she was finally getting better with her control problems.

Finally no longer able to sit still for much longer, the princess decided that some physical catharsis was in order. Silently stepping out of her bedroom, she decided to pay her father a visit in his private study, and hopefully try to convince him into giving her a hint about what the scientists were presenting. The king had been insistent on keeping that information to himself, leaving Elsa to wait until the day of the demonstration. It was both frustrating and exciting at the same time.

In no time at all, she saw the closed door to her father's study in front of her. But as she approached closer, the blonde could hear a heated argument blaring from the room. Slowing down to a crawling pace, Elsa quietly crept closer, the voices becoming clearer with each step.

"-sist, Your Grace, you _cannot _go through with this!" exclaimed an aggravated male voice. Elsa instantly recognized that the voice belonged to a member from her father's council, specifically the one in charge of archiving the kingdom's history and preserving Arendelle's culture.

"We've been over this countless times, _Ignacius_, I am not going back down from this. Besides, the scientists are already here. What would you have me do: kick them out of the kingdom and send them back home? That would completely ruin their credibility!"

Elsa's eyes widened in shock and trepidation. One of her father's councilors was advising him to cancel the demonstration? But she'd been looking forward to it all week! Although she was glad to hear that the king was steadfast in keeping the demonstration on as scheduled, the cyrokinetic princess couldn't help but worry that the advisor would eventually convince her father to change his mind.

"You should be less concerned about those so-called _scientists_, and be more worried about what the other kingdoms will think of us if you allow them to present their _work_." continued the now-identified Ignacius.

"Not this again." groused Agdar, his tone clearly annoyed. "Why must you _always_ be like this with anything that doesn't adhere to tradition?"

"Our ancestors, as well as our great ancestors_, _have prospered in the past by following the traditions that we have guarded throughout all time. By inviting those...those _hacks _into Arendelle, you risk ruining our kingdom's immaculate reputation."

"I disagree. Our people have grown far too content with living by our old ways. The moment that they sense change, panic and discontent almost always ensues. The world is constantly changing, and if Arendelle is to prosper, we must adapt and accept these new innovations or else risk being left behind by our allies and enemies."

"Yet out of all the scientific minds that this world has to offer, you invited people hailing from _Vennskapal_ of all places." Elsa could hear the distaste dripping from Ignacius' voice, confusing the princess as to why the man hated the place so much.

"And just what's wrong with Vennskapal? The town is notorious for its progress in scientific research, and their work has helped several countries. Even our allies in Corona had commissioned a team of Vennskapalan engineers to help improve their fleet of merchant vessels a year ago."

"Well for starters, it was where _**those trials **_were held. To make matters worse, those two _scientists _specialize in the study of the very abominations that accursed man F-"

"That was twenty-five years ago, Ignacius." interrupted Agdar. "Those two had _nothing_ to do with the crimes that were committed back then, and I will not allow the horrors of the past to influence the decisions I make in the present or future."

"Bah! _No one _is innocent so long as they live in that retched cesspool of-"

"_**ENOUGH**_, **IGNACIUS**!" Elsa jumped from the intensity of Agdar's tone. She'd never heard her father raise his voice like that before, and hearing it with such intensity was quite intimidating. "I grow weary of listening to your disgraceful prejudice! The fact that you still hold such a vile grudge against a town of innocent civilians serves as a stark reminder of a time when humanity was at its worst. We've all worked hard to rise above those dark times, and to make sure that history never repeats itself. I'll be _damned _before I allow you or anyone else drag this kingdom down a path where our actions are influenced by irrational fear and blind hatred. _Do I make myself perfectly clear_?"

A brief silence fell in the room, before the king received an answer. "_Crystal clear, Your Grace_." grit out Ignacius, who made no attempt to hide his distaste from the king. Having heard enough, Elsa was about to knock on the door when she heard voices further down the hall. Even though she couldn't see anyone approaching, she recognized that a few of those voices belonged to the other members of her father's council. Not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, Elsa quickly made her escape, taking care not to make any loud noises.

Even though she knew that it was considered rude to listen in on private conversations, the cyrokinetic princess couldn't help but wonder about what Ignacius and her father had been talking about. Why did the fact that the scientists hailed from Vennskapal cause so much trouble? She had read several publications about how the town had the most diverse population in Europe, and it was where countless revolutionary developments in the field of science and medicine were made. There had even been a few occasions where she'd dreamed of visiting the quaint little town, just to see what it was like.

Yet for some reason, Lord Ignacius seemed to want nothing to do with Vennskapal. From the way she'd heard him speak of the town, it was as if the place was one of the most corrupt and violent civilizations on the face of the planet, which didn't make a lick of sense to her. The cultural advisor was the oldest member of the royal council, and was thus hard set in Arendelle's more traditional customs. This caused the king quite a few problems when it came to making new reforms, whom had mentioned on occasion how the older man's stubbornness aggravated him to no end. After what she'd managed to overhear from the conversation, Elsa could easily see exactly why her father felt that way.

And to top it all off, there were "those trials" that were briefly mentioned. From what the blonde managed to infer, they were a devastating and gruesome affair that took place in Vennskapal long before she was born. It were these same trials that seemed to be the root of the old advisor's grudge against the town and its current population. Fortunately, King Agdar was more than capable of overlooking bloody histories, and was willing to give people a chance to prove themselves, much to Lord Ignacius' ire. Nonetheless, the platinum blonde found herself continuously thinking about what could have happened during those "trials" that gave Vennskapal such a bad reputation.

_**RENNCH!**_

_**BANG!**_

"DAMMIT!"

The loud noise and outburst abruptly snapped Elsa out of her thoughts, allowing her to take notice of her current surroundings. To her bewilderment, the cyrokinetic princess realized that she'd been subconsciously walking to castle's ballroom, which was where the demonstration was going to be held. Once again, Elsa found herself torn between two choices. The first choice was to just turn around, go back to her room, and wait until her father came to collect her for the demonstration. Even though there was still a good twenty minutes before the event started, it was the more "proper" choice in accordance to the etiquette classes that had been drilled into her and Anna's head when they were younger.

The second choice of sneaking in and taking a quick peek at the visiting scientist's invention, however, was just too tempting for her to outright ignore. Although she prided herself in maintaining a mature and calm demeanor befitting of a princess, she was finding it difficult to hold back her enthusiasm. The anticipation, the mystery, it was just too much to handle all at once! Elsa briefly wondered if her excited mood was what her sister experienced on a daily basis, which could very well explain why the strawberry blonde never seemed to able to stay still for long periods of time. Nonetheless, Elsa found her more sensible side slowly reasserting its dominance over her more impulsive self, and reluctantly decided that it'd be best if she went with the safer choice.

"No. No! _No, no, no, no, n_-AUGH!"

_**CLANG!**_

But, then again, the person behind those doors sounded like they were in trouble. And as a princess of Arendelle, it wouldn't be right if she blatantly ignored someone that needed help.

* * *

_With Danny, A Few Minutes Earlier_

Today should've been a good day. This was the thought that had been running through Danny's mind over and over again as he contemplated all that he'd experienced from last Saturday to his current situation. After the royal guards escorted the three Fentons to the inn that they'd be staying at, and explained the itinerary of the upcoming demonstration, his parents allowed him the chance to explore the kingdom's village on his own so long as he made it back to their room in time for dinner. The young teen had thoroughly enjoyed his time walking down the streets and taking in all the sights. He'd even managed to find the perfect souvenir for Jazz: a silver paperweight with Arendelle's symbol engraved into it. Sure, it may have cost a bit more than he'd expected a small heavy chunk of polished metal to be worth, but he figured that he could afford to splurge a little for his sister. He later returned to the inn just as his parents were finished speaking with the royal guards. The three of them then shared a nice dinner at a restaurant that was a short walking distance from the inn; it was one of the few times that Danny saw his dad eat with proper table manners.

Then, the day of the demonstration came. Once again, the Fentons woke up early in the morning (much to the teen's consternation) so that they could transport the materials and components to the palace. The family and the four hired workers was quickly herded past the gates by the same trio of guardsmen they'd met before, and led into the ballroom that was to be used for the official gathering. After making sure that they had everything they needed, the group of seven promptly got to work. Jack and the laborers focused on assembling the large frames and fastening the heavier components of the machine in place, while Maddie and Danny worked on putting together the smaller yet vital instruments that helped the creation function properly. It took quite some time, and there was the occasional argument about which part went where, but the experimental machine was quickly nearing completion. Just as the unlikely team was about to install the last few necessary parts, a member of King Agdar's council came in the room and asked for a private audience with Jack and Maddie. Before his parents left, however, the two scientists tasked their son with making sure that the rest of the parts were installed correctly.

Danny, who was preoccupied with assembling an important control panel, gave a simple confirmation that he heard their request without looking up from his work. He figured that he had nothing to worry about, and that the laborers would take care of handling the heavier equipment. But just as he finished fastening the final screw, he noticed that the workers were heading towards the door. This confused the teen as his parents had mentioned that they had hired the men to help until 1 PM, yet they still had twenty minutes left until their contract ended. The teen became even more disgruntled when he saw that the machine was far from complete.

"H-Hey, hey, hold on a minute!" he called as he followed after the four men, making them stop and turn to face him. Danny continued his trek towards them, inwardly cursing at his current situation and how his good day had come to a grinding halt, only stopping when a few feet separated them. "Where do you guys think you're going?"

"We've finished early, squirt." answered the worker that was closest to him. "With the job done, there's really no point in us staying here, is there?"

"Finished?" Danny took a quick glance at the supposed completed machine, before his gaze whirled back at the workers with a highly annoyed expression. "You call that _finished_?!"

The same worker frowned, not liking the tone being directed towards him. "Yeah, I do. Me and the boys put together your parents' crazy machine like we were paid to. What's your problem?"

"My problem? My _problem _is that you and your _boys _fitted several vital parts on the machine _the wrong way_!"

Another workman glanced back at the machine, before focusing his attention back on Danny. "What are ya talkin' about, boy? The thing look's fine."

"_Fine_?! Are you serious? The ecto-filtrator system looks like it's about to fall off, the plasma ion generators are on crooked, there's an electrical converter that's barely hanging onto the outer frame, and there are still armored plates that aren't bolted on! How does any of that look _fine _to you four?"

"Well _excuse us_ for not being scientists, brat. We're used to working on construction projects for buildings, not some complicated, fancy-shmancy-"

"There was nothing _complicated _about the machine's assembly process! My parents provided very detailed instructions on how each individual part should be attached to one another. There were no complex scientific theories whatsoever included in the plans; they were heavily simplified to ensure that anyone could understand how to build the machine. Hell, _I _can easily understand these plans, and I'm not even eighteen yet!"

By now, half of the group felt extremely indignant about having a kid ridicule them in such a manner, while the other half had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed. "Just what do you want from us?" asked a member of the latter half.

"What I _want_ is for you guys to do the damn job that you were _paid _to do, and to do it _properly_!" snapped Danny, feeling extremely aggravated that he was having such a conversation with four grown men.

The group's leader, however, didn't take the suggestion too kindly. "Here's an even better idea." he sneered as he walked up to Danny until he right in the teen's face. "Since you seem to be so knowledgeable about how this crackpot thing is supposed to be built, _**you **_can finish our work for us, while we head home." The man gave the teen a two-fingered jab to the chest to accentuate his point, before turning back around and leading the others toward the exit. Although Danny was caught off guard by the aggressive gesture, he was more offended than hurt.

"Hey! You can't just leave a job unfinished! Get back here!" shouted Danny, but the four workers paid no attention as they all left out the door and allowed the guard stationed there to lead them back to the villa. Despite the rare opportunity that was before them, they knew better than to go snooping around the castle. Sating their curiosity of the rumors circulating around the royal family's reclusive behavior was not worth risking life imprisonment or the death penalty.

Now left alone in the ballroom, Danny allowed himself a short of time to fume about the audacity of the worker's behavior and made a mental note to make sure that his parents knew about what had happened. Turning back towards his parents' invention, he sighed tiredly as he surveyed all of the mistakes that the workmen made.

The entire machine resembled a massive armor-plated tunnel. The center of its arch was a good nine feet from the ground, and the entire machine stretched across the floor in an impressive length of forty-eight feet. On both of its outer sides, and along the top of the arch, were several components of varying size bolted on the dull gray armored plating. Overall, the machine looked quite foreboding and intimidating, yet had a mysterious allure to it at the same time; at least, it _would _have looked like that if it weren't for the numerous crooked and missing parts. Although he was more than knowledgeable of how to properly fix all of the problems, some of the parts were extremely heavy, and he was somewhat worried that he'd do more damage if he tried to make the repairs himself. But on the other hand, his parents would be expecting the machine to be in working order by the time of the demonstration, and they'd most certainly be embarrassed to see their invention in such a state.

"Well if you want something done right, I guess you really _do_ have to do it yourself." groused Danny as he walked back to the area where he'd previously been working. Grabbing hold of a bundle that was by the toolbox, Danny withdrew a few pieces of clothing: a pair of pants with foot coverings, a long-sleeved turtleneck shirt with gloves integrated into the sleeves, and a white belt. All three garments looked strange on their own, but when worn together they made up a full-body suit. The clothes were made out of the same material that his parents' suits were, only his was predominately colored white and had black sections situated around the feet, shins, hands, wrists, and neck. Although he didn't know why his parents had four sets of the strange suits commissioned for the entire family, the teen couldn't deny that they had their uses.

After quickly slipping on the top and bottom halves of the suit over his clothes, he secured the two pieces with the white belt. Grabbing spare tool belt, Danny filled its numerous pouches with numerous tools, bolts, and screws. Once he made sure that he had everything that he needed, he quickly went to work. After another quick survey of the entire machine, he figured that the plasma ion generators situated on top were the easiest to fix. Dragging a ladder into position, he climbed to the top and carefully unfastened every generator from their sockets. Once he made sure that the wires were properly connected, he slowly and gingerly reinserted them in the correct way.

Next, he focused his attention on the ecto-filtrator unit that was situated on the left side of the machine. Fortunately for him, the system didn't really need much additional work, and only required it's tubing to be properly connected and a few more bolts to secure it. He was about move on to the armored plates when he heard the sound of groaning metal coming from the other side. Racing over to where he heard the noise, he was just in time to see the large electrical converter break away from the outer frame.

_**RENNCH!**_

Leaping into action, Danny sprinted towards the falling component, and abruptly pressed the part against the surface from which it previously hung.

_**BANG!**_

"DAMMIT!" Danny was already starting to feel strain of keeping the heavy equipment from crashing to the ground, and knew that he had to get the thing secured quickly. Heaving with all of his might, he moved the converter back into place, making sure to align the part with the frame's boreholes. Swiftly taking a bolt from one of the tool belt's pouches, he jammed the small metal fastener through the topmost borehole. He then reached for his wrench, only to find that the tool wasn't in the pouch that he put it in. Frantically looking around, he found it lying on the floor to his right, just out of reach. Cursing is usual "Fenton luck", Danny tried to think of a way out of his predicament that didn't involve the converter crushing him.

'_Maybe if I twist one or two bolts in by hand, they'll hold the converter long enough for me to get that damned wrench._' he thought. Pulling out a second bolt, the teen speedily inserted it into another borehole, and twisted both of them as far as he could. Taking a tentative step, his spirits began to rise when he saw that the converter was staying put. He only took a few steps, however, when the weight of the part forced the bolts out of the boreholes.

"No. No! _No, no, no, no, n_-AUGH!"

_**CLANG!**_

Once again, he had to rush and slam the converter against the outer frame before it crashed to the floor. He could've easily gently lowered it, but the teen didn't want to, since he figured that he wouldn't be able to hoist it back up. Looking back at the wrench he figured that he could possibly reach over and grab the tool without having to let go of the converter. Slowly taking his right hand off and focusing all of his strength into his left arm, Danny slowly crouched down low to the ground until he was balancing on the balls of his feet. Just as he was starting to lean over towards the wrench, the strain of holding the hefty part with only one arm quickly began to overwhelm him. Not wanting to risk being squashed, Danny quickly slammed his right arm back onto the machinery, and stood back up to his full height so that he could better support the part. Making sure that he was applying enough pressure against the component to keep it from sipping any further, the young teen slowly extended his right leg to the side all the while concentrating on keeping his balance. He figured that if he could drag the tool back towards him with his foot, then he'd be able to fix his debacle.

But just like before, his hopes were quickly dashed. Even with his leg outstretched as far as he could, his foot _s__till _couldn't reach the wrench. He desperately swiped at the tool with his toes, but all he struck was thin air. By now, the teen was at his wit's end; the very tool that could help him out of his dilemma was practically right in front of him, a few inches out of his reach. It was as if the inanimate object was somehow mocking him, rubbing his _Fenton Luck _in his face like all of the bullies back at home. To make matters worse, he could feel his strength waning, making his legs tremble from the weight.

'_Oh, this is just terrific!_' Danny seethed in his mind, as his fatigue worsened with each passing second. His legs buckled for but an instant, bringing the converter closer to the ground. The teen brought his leg back so that he could get in a more stable stance, but he couldn't push the part up any further.

"_Dammit_!" he cursed through gritted teeth, all the while desperately trying to keep the part from crashing to the ground. "Um...hello? _Hello_?" he called out, hoping that someone was around to hear him. "Is anyone out there?" The trembling in his legs grew stronger, making it even harder for him to keep holding the machinery up. He clenched his eyes shut as he tried to ignore the burning sensations in his limbs. "Someone…Anyone…please…**HELP**!" He was too preoccupied with holding the heavy part up that he didn't hear the footsteps quickly approaching towards him.

"I've got it!" called a distinctively feminine voice, before he felt the converter's weight on his arms lessen. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Danny and his new helper pushed the part back until it was flesh against the portal's outer frame. While he welcomed the chance for the muscles in his arms to relax, he knew that he needed to properly secure the converter quickly. Taking a quick peek to his right, he took notice of the girl that was standing right beside him, trying her hardest to keep the converter up against the frame.

"Hey," he started, gaining the girl's attention, "there should be a wrench lying on the floor on your right. If I hold this thing up, could you please get it for me? I need it to fasten this thing."

"Oh! O-Of course! Just hang on one moment." replied the girl, before she quickly dashed to where the tool lay and snatched it up off of the ground. She then raced back, and pushed back against the part. "Here!" she said, holding the tool out for Danny, who quickly accepted it.

"Thanks. Now I just need to screw in these bolts, but I need both of my hands. Can you hold this thing up while I do it?" asked Danny. Seeing the girl nod her head, the teen immediately took his hands off and set to work. Swiftly taking out four bolts from his belt pouch, he inserted a bolt into each borehole situated at the corner of the rectangular part, and then screwed them in with the wrench.

"Okay, you good! You can let go now." he said once the fourth bolt had been secured. Hearing him give her the "all clear" signal, the mysterious girl stepped back with a sigh of relief. Taking out four more bolts, Danny quickly slotted them in the boreholes at the sides, and speedily fastened them in. Taking a few steps back, he was pleased to see that the large converter was staying in place.

"Whew! Talk about good timing." he said, slipping the tool back into his pouch, before turning to face his brief assistant. "I would've been in a lot of trouble if you hadn't step-" Danny suddenly found himself short of breath once he got a good look at the mysterious girl. She was dressed in an aquamarine blouse, a blue jacket and a long blue skirt. Her pale alabaster skin looked as if it had an angelic glow, and her braided platinum blond hair only further enhanced its otherworldly appearance. The girl's eyes were a blue as glacial ice, and were currently staring directly at his parents' invention with unbridled curiosity. He idly noticed that she wore a pair of white gloves on her hands, which completed her formal outfit. Even though this was the first time seeing her, there was no denying that the girl was…

"…beautiful." The girl's head suddenly whipped towards him with a startled expression, making him realize that he had spoken his thoughts aloud. "I-I'm sorry, w-w-what I meant to say was _thank you_ for stepping in back there. I-I don't think that I would've lasted much longer." Danny felt like kicking himself for sounding so damn foolish and practically blowing his chance of a good first impression.

The girl simply smiled shyly at him, unaware to his internal distress. "It's quite alright. I'm just relieved that I was able to help in time," her face then took on a more serious expression, "but what are you doing here? This room's supposed to be off-limits for everyone except for the scientists and hired help."

Danny felt the tips of his ears burn with embarrassment as he recalled the events that led up to his awkward predicament. "_Yeah_, well, that's kind of a long story. You see, I came along with my parents for the demonstration. I was helping th-"

"Wait a minute, _your parents_?" interrupted the girl.

"Yeah, my parents are the scientists that were invited to present their latest invention. I just happened to be their "plus one" as well as their assistant. We had another team of day-laborers that were supposed to be helping us put the machine together, but they decided to leave early without making sure that they did the job right, leaving _me _to pick up their slack."

"That's horrible! I'm so sorry for your trouble."

"Thanks, but it wasn't that bad. I've helped my parents when they were still developing this thing, so I was able fix most of the problems; I just overestimated how heavy some of the parts actually were." assured Danny. He then noticed that the girl seemed to be looking at him strangely. "Um, is something the matter? Do I have grease on my face?"

The girl snapped out of her trance, her cheeks taking on a bright pink hue. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare. I couldn't help but notice that, well, your clothes..."

"Hm? Oh, you mean this old thing?" asked Danny, gesturing to his suit. "Don't worry I completely understand; I'd be staring too if I saw someone walking around in public wearing something as weird as this. And it doesn't help that these clothes are made entirely out of latex."

By now, the girl's expression looked absolutely perplexed. "Latex? As in that stuff from a tree?"

"Got it in one! Yes, this very suit is made from the latex of the Para rubber tree in South America, which makes it resistant to liquids, grease, and all sorts of substances. Although they are hardly fashionable in the traditional sense, they're very effective as protective clothing. The best part is that you can wear the suit on top of your normal clothes, and not waste time changing." He leaned forward and hooked a finger on the suit's collar, pulling it back to show that he was indeed wearing normal clothes underneath. "And when it comes to working with a massive machine such as this, wearing a rubber suit would be highly recommended."

The girl followed where his hand went, and found herself gazing at the strange machine once again. Just by looking at her expression, Danny could tell that she was extremely interested in it. "I've never seen a machine like this before." She then turned back to face the young teen, her eyes shining with curiosity. "What does it do?"

The young man couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's enthusiasm. "Well, now, it's not really my place to disclose any information about my parents' invention, and they'd most likely do a better job at explaining its purpose. What I can tell you, however, is that this one-of-a-kind machine is, to quote my folks, _designed to view a world unseen_."

"_To view a world unseen_..." echoed the girl in wonder. Danny didn't know why, but just hearing the girl speak in such an astonished tone had his heart beating faster. It was if a cool, gentle breeze had completely encompassed him and blown away all of the negative feelings and anxieties that he usually experienced. To him, that particular aspect only further enhanced her attractiveness; he'd even go as far as to say that she was even more beautiful than the most attractive and popular girl known throughout his age group. He never imagined that he'd ever meet such a girl, let alone that she'd be in Arendelle's castle. Of course, that bit of information brought up several questions, like "_what she was doing in the castle in the first place?_", or "_did she and family live in the castle as members of the staff hands?_". Regardless of the possible reasons for her presence, Danny wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. The only problem was that he didn't know how to go about asking her to stay without sounding like a desperate geek. He was about to let the matter drop, when an idea came to him.

"You know," he began, catching the girl's attention, "if you wait a couple of minutes, you can see how this machine works first-hand. My parents are going to be presenting their invention to the _king of Arendelle _himself, and I'm sure that I can convince my folks to let you stay to watch. That is, if you would like to."

The girl adopted a contemplative look, until she suddenly became quite panic-stricken. "I need to leave." she said as before quickly rushing towards the exit.

"Huh? Wait, you're going already?" asked Danny, feeling his spirits beginning to plummet. "What's the matter?"

The girl stopped to give the teen an apologetic look. "I'm really sorry, but as much as I appreciate your offer, I really shouldn't be here."

Seeing the girl turn around to leave sparked something strange within Danny, as if he was watching an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity walk away. "Can I at least know the name of my savior?" Seeing the girl jolt to a stop had Danny mentally berating himself for sounding so cheesy and straightforward. Noticing the girl's bewildered expression and blushed cheeks, Danny took a deep breath and soldiered on. "What I meant was that I'd really like to know the name of the cute girl who practically saved me from being crushed by my parents' own creation." Once again, the young teen winced internally on how he couldn't keep his inner thoughts to himself. Now the girl would surely think that he was coming onto her, just like how he'd seen Dash act back at home.

But to his surprise, the girl didn't immediately shoot him down. Instead, she just stared at him intensely before she smiled coyly. "Isn't the charming boy supposed to give the girl his name first?"

Danny felt his cheeks burn from the girl's playful teasing, but felt emboldened by her friendly attitude. "The name's Daniel Fenton, but practically everybody calls me Danny."

The girl giggled, her smile positively beaming, which made the boy's blush burn brighter. "My name is Elsa. It was a pleasure meeting you, Danny, but must be going now. Farewell!" Without another word, the girl raced out of the room, leaving the young Fenton alone once again.

"Goodbye...Elsa." The name sounded so...angelic..., which only made it fitting for the girl that he'd just met. He just couldn't stop thinking about her, his eyes focused on where Elsa once stood. He shook his head vigorously, not unlike a wet dog shaking itself dry, to help snap himself from his trance; he still had work to do. Gathering the remaining protective plates closer towards the machine, he started to bolt the last pieces to the outer frame. Fortunately, Danny only needed to add four plates in order to complete the machine. The only downside was that each empty space was progressively higher than the previous one; there was even an empty space located at the very top of the entire construct. This, coupled with the fact that each individual plate was extremely heavy, only made the task even more difficult. Regardless of the daunting task before him, Danny pressed onwards.

After applying the two plates that were the closest to the ground, all the while making sure that he didn't damage the internal workings that they were meant to protect, he dragged the ladder over to where the last two empty spaces were located. With a mighty heave, he climbed up the steps with the third panel in hand, trying his hardest to keep his grip on the metal slab. He swiftly slammed it into place before he accidentally dropped it, making use of its own weight to hold it down while he screwed in the bolts. His exhaustion was really starting to catch up to him when he climbed back down for the last panel. He knew that he could easily wait for his parents to return in order to help him with the repairs, or at the very least take a short break to catch his breath, but he also knew that the time of the presentation was rapidly approaching. If the king and his council arrived to see that the machine was incomplete, it would surely reflect poorly on his parents. Plus, his own stubborn streak refused to leave a job he'd started unfinished.

Steeling his resolve, Danny hefted the final slab up off the ground, and made his way towards the ladder. His pace was slow due to the piece's weight, and he almost tripped twice because of his fatigue, but he finally managed to reach the ladder. Taking great care, he climbed up to the very top of the machine, where he all but dropped the metal sheet on top the structure and pushed it further up the sloping surface. Scrambling up to the top, he then slid the plate into place, making sure that he didn't pinch his fingers in between the cracks. Slotting the bolts into the boreholes, he methodically tightened them in, just as his parents arrived back in the room.

"Danny? What are you doing?" asked Maddie.

The teen gave his parents a tired smile. "Hey, Mom. I was wondering when you and Dad were coming back. What took the two of you so long?"

"Ah, well, the advisor wanted to make sure that we understood _**all**_ of the proper etiquette when talking to the king, despite the fact that we were already told what and _what not _to do yesterday. But never mind that, why are you up there? And where are all the workers for that matter?"

"Yeah, about that, Dad, there's something that you should to know. Your hired help decided to leave early, even though they didn't bother to make sure that the machine was completely built. They'd even installed several parts incorrectly and even left a few of them off. I tried to stop them, but they just left anyways. So I figured that I'd might as well fix all of their mistakes myself." said Danny as he secured the last bolt into place.

"What?! Oh, I'm so sorry, hon. I hope that you didn't have too much trouble." said Maddie as she held the ladder so that her son could climb down.

"It was nothing too severe, but I needed a little help from some staff hand's daughter when it came to properly attaching the electric converter. Just to be on the safe side, I think it'd be best if you two checked over the entire machine to make sure that those workers didn't mess anything else up." Worried about any further problems caused by their irresponsible help, his parents quickly set about examining their invention. Jack lit a lantern, and began to survey the inner structure's parts, while Maddie double checked the outer frame.

"Which parts did you say were assembled incorrectly, sweetie?" his mother asked.

"Uh, it was the ecto-filtrator, a few plasma ion generators, the electric converter, and four armored plates. Like I said, the only part that gave me trouble was the converter." answered Danny, joining her with the observations

"That was the part where you needed help, right?"

"Yeah, it was. If it hadn't been for that girl, that hunk of junk would've fallen on top of me."

"Well, that was kind of her. Did you find out her name?"

"Y-Yeah, her name was Elsa." replied Danny, a dreamy smile stretching across his face as he thought about the mysterious beauty that came to his rescue. What he didn't know was that his mother had been watching him the whole time.

"So, was she cute?"

"Heh. _Cute_? She was gorgeous." The young man was broken from his musings when he heard his mother's giggling, making him realize that he'd voiced his thoughts aloud once again. "_Mom_! That's not funny!"

"Oh, don't be like that, Danny. I think that it's nice that you've met a cute girl in Arendelle." chortled his mother. "I just wish that I'd been there to see her myself. From what you've told me, she sounds like quite the catch."

"Uh,…yeah. If it's alright with you, I'm just going to see if Dad needs any help." He didn't wait for his mom to reply, and walked towards the mouth of the machine, just as the man was walking out. "So, is there anything wrong in there?"

"Well, everything seems to be fine. Looks like we're fortunate enough that the workers actually put this part of the machine together correctly. I'm really sorry that you had to deal with those lousy shirkers, Dan-o."

"Hey, it's alright, Dad. Really, it is."

"Yeah, well, I'll be making sure that those four schmucks have a hard time finding work in the future." Jack's serious expression then shifted into a sly smile. "So, just how gorgeous was this girl?"

"_Dad_!" Danny's cheeks burned a bright pink at his father's teasing.

"Ah, lighten up, son! Your mother and I are only joking. But you have to admit, we were right about Arendelle offering new and exciting opportunities for you, eh?" crowed Jack as he playfully elbowed the teen in his side. Danny just rolled his eyes despite the small smile on his face. "Alright, everything seems to be in order from inside the projection chamber. How about you, Maddie? Do you see any glaring problems?"

"No, dear, it looks like everything is in their right place." came the answer from the man's wife before she walked over to where he was.

"Super! Now we can add the final touches."

"Huh? Wait, what final touches? What else needs to be done?" Danny had no idea what his father was talking about as he watched him and his mother walk towards where they'd placed the tools. As far as he was concerned, the machine looked complete and ready to be used. He got his answer, however, when his father turned back around with a huge folded up sheet in his hands, and a massive grin stretched across his face.

"We need to cover this baby up before the presentation begins!" Maddie simply giggled at her husband's enthusiasm, while Danny just shook his head.

"Dad, is that thing really necessary?" Nonetheless, he still took an edge of the cloth along with his mother.

"Of course it is!" answered the man as he and his family worked to drape the massive sheet on top of the whole machine. "We need to make a good first impression with the king and his council; to really grab their attention. And what better way to do that than to present them with a machine they can't fully see? They'll be bubbling with curiosity about what our invention looks like _and _what it does!"

Danny just smiled at his male parent's enthusiasm. Even though Jack Fenton was a man in his forties, he still retained some of his child-like demeanor. They'd just finished securing the tarpaulin when the ballroom's doors opened and a well-dressed, balding man with a portly figure walked in. At the sight of the strange man, both of his parents immediately knelt down onto their left knee and bowed their heads low to the ground. Danny quickly followed suit, having an inkling about what was going to happen. Keeping his eyes trained on the hardwood floor, the young teen listened as the sound of footsteps filled the room. He felt his heart race as he continued to stare at the floor, even after the sound died down and silence once again settled in.

"Presenting Arendelle's Council and their Royal Majesties: King Agdar and Princess Elsa."

'_What_?' Danny felt his entire body jolt in surprise when he heard the last name that the man had announced. '_The princess has the same name as Elsa_? _What are the odds of there being two girls living in the caste that has the same name_? _It just doesn't seem possible. Unless…no. No. There's no way that the two are the same person. __**That's**__ even more unlikely_! _Right_?' Noticing that his parents were rising to their feet, he quickly mimicked their actions. Once he was standing upright again, his eyes swiftly combed through the gathered audience until he locked onto a familiar face. All of his surroundings faded away like dust in the wind; he didn't take any notice of his parents, the members of the council, or even the king himself. For him, the only other person that was in the room was the girl standing a good distance in front of him, the same the girl that had helped him fix his parents' machine a few minutes ago.

The princess must've felt him staring as her gaze shifted onto him, her eyes widening in surprise shortly after. Elsa's cheeks took on a light brush as they continued to stare at each other before she sent him a small embarrassed smile, one that he couldn't help but return.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

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_**So here is the second chapter. I'm sorry that it's taken so long, but real life responsibilities come first I'm afraid. The fact that it's taken me this long really annoys me. Don't forget to read and review. Let me know what you liked or didn't like, so that I can make improvements in the next chapter.**_

_**Danny and Elsa have finally met each other in the most unorthodox way, only for the former to discover that the latter is royalty. But they must be careful, as dark clouds are on the horizon. Just what does Ignacius have against Vennskapal? What were the "trials" that he was referring to? Will the Fentons' strange machine actually work? All of this will be explored in the subsequent chapters. Stay tuned to find out!**_


	3. Murphy's Law in Action

**A Tale of Ghosts and Ice**

**Hiddey-Ho, everyone! Here's the next installment. I own nothing!**

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**Chapter 3: Murphy's Law in Action**

_Arendelle Castle Ballroom_

Danny just couldn't believe absurdity of his situation. The thought that he just had a casual conversation with a crowned princess barely a half-hour ago practically floored him.

'_This is just my luck. I meet the one cute girl who doesn't automatically turn her nose up in the air upon meeting me, and she just so happens to be Arendelle's princess. I should've known that it was all too good to be true.' _ Danny groused within his mind. '_But then again, why didn't she tell me that she was royalty when we first met_?_ Why would she keep her identity a secret_?'

"Hailing from Vennskapal," spoke the stout gentleman, snapping the teen out of his thoughts, "I present Jackson Fenton, Madeline Fenton, and Daniel Fenton."

The king smiled kindly at the family. "My honored guests, welcome to Arendelle. Allow me to be the first to thank you for taking time out of your lives and making the arduous trip to our kingdom to present your latest invention."

"Aw, shucks, K-dah, I mean, the pleasure is all ours, Your Grace." Jack stammered, catching himself before he unintentionally offended the king by his casual demeanor. "Your Royal Majesties, members of the council, death is a constant in life that we cannot avoid. It doesn't matter if you're wealthy lord or a poor pauper; sooner or later, everyone will eventually die. Even though a vast majority of us have accepted this truth, we still can't help but worry about what awaits us in the afterlife, and just when we're going to die. This uncertain aspect of life can cause several inconveniences for everyone in the world, as well as untold amounts of grief whenever a family member or friend unexpectedly dies. Many have tried to find ways to cope with this stressful topic, but there's always the chance that some people will spend the majority of their life stressing about their inevitable demise, or never fully recover from experiencing such a horrific tragedy. But today, we offer a more fulfilling way to overcome the pain and anguish that comes with death, and to obtain a sense of ease in life."

Jack then walked over to the machine with the tarpaulin draped over it, while Maddie and Danny moved to the control panel that was connected to said machine by a long collection of thick wires. Grabbing a good portion of the large cloth, he turned his attention back to his audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present to you: the _Fenton Ghost Portal_!" With a hard yank, he pulled the entire tarpaulin off in an extravagant flourish, revealing the massive machine to everyone's awe (and at least one person's disgust).

"After years of research and experiments, my wife and I have discovered a way to artificially create a functioning connection between the realms of the living and dead. In short, this prototype can allow a person to actually make contact with the deceased."

"_Make contact with the deceased_? Why would someone in their right mind want anything to do with such nonsense?" interrupted one of the robbed figures standing by the king and princess. He was a balding man that looked to be in his mid-fifties, and had a disgusted grimace etched on his face. A monocle was in position over his left eye, and he wore a silver medallion that dangled over his red robes from a black ribbon. Stamped on the center of the circular metal was yellow crocus, showing his position as a member of the royal advisory council. In his hand was a thick wooden cane, which was undoubtedly used to help the man walk.

The rest of the council didn't appreciate their fellow advisor's outburst, as the remaining five of them all shot disapproving looks at the elder man. The glare that the king gave the interrupter, however, looked downright dangerous, making the latter realize that he was on very thin ice and that it would be in his best interest to keep his mouth shut.

"I believe what Lord Ignacius was _trying_ to ask is what will mankind gain from using technology designed to communicate with the deceased?" spoke another robed figure, whose medallion was on a yellow ribbon. This man's head shaved like a monk, and his body was of a heavier build than all the other advisors.

Without missing a beat, Jack enthusiastically continued with his explanation. "I'm glad that you brought that up, Lord…"

"Lord Lysander, advisor of public relations." answered the man.

"Right, thank you. As I was about to say, Lord Lysander, the possibilities that our invention can offer to the world are limitless. The _Ghost Portal_ affords humanity the chance to finally solve mystery of what happens to our souls once we pass on. The debate that has sparked conflicts and bloody wars among the world's many religions can now be settled once and for all. The answers that the portal can provide will form the foundation for a more peaceful coexistence, regardless of a person's cultural background. Furthermore, our machine can also be used in more significant applications. Murder victims can provide concrete evidence in trials to ensure that the culprit is rightfully punished. Politicians and leaders can contact their deceased predecessors for counsel on troubling matters. Historians will be able to write accurate records about key figures and events from the past through something as simple as an interview. This technology can even be used for more personal matters, like providing someone the chance to say one last goodbye to a loved one who had died unexpectedly." The council began to murmur amongst themselves in light of Jack's proposal, and even the king began to look at the portal in a new light. Danny noticed that the princess' eyes were practically sparkling with wonder at the portal's potential. The only one that seemed completely unimpressed with his father's words was Lord Ignacius.

"But, like the old saying goes, _actions speak louder than words_. Let's get right to the main reason why all of you are here: the actual demonstration." Maddie walked towards the portal to help her husband start the machine, while Danny went to grab a box by the control panel. "Our son is going to distribute protective eye googles among all of you while the machine is being prepped. The initial flash that the portal creates when it's first activated can be harmful to a person's eyesight."

As Jack went to help his wife with the preparations, Danny approached the council with a small box under his arm. One by one, he handed a pair of goggles to each member of the council until he finally got to the princess. He lingered a second when he gave Elsa her pair, the two teens actually blushing when they felt their hands touch. He wanted to say something to the princess, but the fact that her father was in close proximity made him hesitant in trying to start a conversation with her. Instead, they shared a brief yet timid smile before Danny was called back by his mother to help with the preparations.

Once he made sure that everything was connected, Jack turned his attention back to the gathered audience. "If everyone could please put on their googles, we are about to activate the portal shortly." He then turned back to his family as the audience obliged with his request, with Danny positioned at the right side of the outer frame, and Maddie stationed at the ready on the left. Both of them had their googles on, and were standing by three pairs of switches that stretched across the length of the portal. "Alright, you two, just like we discussed. Throw the first switch!"

Mother and son pulled their respective switches, opening the circuits that connected the power source to the power generators. With a low hum that gradually grew louder, the generators' turbines spun faster and faster, creating the necessary electrical charge needed to activate the ion plasma generators that were located near the back of the portal's outer frame.

"Power output at 13%...25%...33%! Okay, move onto the second series!" Danny and his mother quickly dashed to the pair of switches that were situated in the middle of the outer frame, and waited for Jack's signal. "On my mark! 3…2…1…_**now**_!" As one, the duo pulled the second set of switches, making the electrical hum increase in volume. The middle section's plasma ion generators sparked to life, intensifying the violet glow that had started to fill the room. They pair then jogged towards the portal's opening to examine the instruments that were stationed there.

"Ecto-filtrator is functioning at full capacity!"

"Electric converter output at 100% with no fluctuations!"

"Power output has risen to 66%! This is it, you two! Throw the final pair of switches now!" Jack hollered over the loud thrumming noise that the portal was making. Like the previous two times, the mother-son pair pulled the last set of switches in one instant, which turned on the last of the plasma ion generators. The noise was now even louder as the ectoplasmic energy generators were fully activated, and a bright green glow began to form at the deepest interior of the portal. With their tasks completed, the duo dashed over to the control panel resting on the podium. Jack moved to the portal's far right to make room for his wife, who took her position at the far left.

"Power output at 100%! Preparing the final circuit" declared Jack. Nodding to Maddie, the two adults pulled out two matching metal keys and inserted them into the key holes that were located on the far sides of the control panel. "Initiating the formation of the ectoplasmic field in 5…4…3…2…1!" In one swift motion, Jack turned his key to the left while Maddie turned hers to the right. As a result, the noise instantly began to increase in volume to the degree that several of the room's occupants had covered their ears. The green light that started off as a dim flicker near the end of the inner chamber began to glow brighter and started to expand out towards the chamber's opening. By now, the green light took on the appearance of some kind of pulsating energy; to a few members of the audience, it looked as if it was some kind of miasma that witches and wizards supposedly used to cast their spells. Just as it looked like the writhing green light was about to reach the portal's opening, something went wrong.

From amidst all of the loud noise, a loud _**SNAP! **_was heard by everyone. A scant few seconds later, the green energy's luster began to dull and flicker. Before anyone could guess as to what was happening, the foreign emerald energy receded back into the inner chamber before it finally faded out. The entire room fell silent save for the portal's loud humming and the buzzing from the plasma ion generators, the latter of which were still burning bright violet. Danny suddenly felt highly aware of the numerous sets of eyes that were focused on him and his family; the sound of confused murmuring and googles being removed only worsened the uneasy sensation. With all of his experience of having people stare at him with disappointed and scrutinizing looks throughout his life, the young teen had practically developed a sixth sense whenever he was the subject of such stares. It was a feeling that he always hated, and always made him extremely nervous; it was as if he was trapped in a cauldron filled with water that was being held over a large open fire. And from the look of his parents' faces as they frantically tried to locate the source of the machine's malfunction, Danny could tell that they were feeling the pressure of the situation, too.

"_Jack, what's wrong? Why did the portal abort the ectoplasmic field formation process_?" asked Maddie in a tense whisper.

The look on Jack's visage spoke of how stressed he was quickly becoming. "_I don't know! Everything checked out from my end! The readouts I got from the panel showed that the machine was functioning at 100% efficiency. Are you sure that there was nothing wrong with any of the gauges on the portal?_'

"_Yes, but I_-"

"I believe that we've all seen enough, Your Grace." interjected someone from behind them. Turning to where they heard the voice, the family saw that it was none other than Lord Ignacius. The elder man was staring at the Fenton trio with poorly hidden smugness at their supposed failure, his attitude similar to that of a demented child that took pleasure in torturing insects. After taking a few more seconds to commit the disheartened looks on their faces to his memory, he turned to face the king with a more "professional" attitude. "If I may be so bold in saying this, Your Grace, but it appears that these blundering fools have wasted our precious time. Not only is the main subject of their research based on a ludicrous idea, but their machine has broken down before it could even be turned on. This is most unbefitting of any respectful scientist, and they have dishonored you with this ill-prepared and poorly built _invention_."

"_OR _the portal's failure could be the result of technical difficulties caused by the untimely breakdown of a single part, specifically one of the hairline fuses." Danny instantly wished that he'd kept his mouth shut when his parents, the king, the princess, and everyone's eyes zeroed in on him. Regardless of the fact that he had a bad habit of losing his cool in stressful situations, he knew that he couldn't just back down now after he'd spoke up. Slipping off his own googles, he bravely looked King Agdar in the eye, his facial expression unwavering and determined. "That is to say, sir-I mean, Your Majesty, is that the reason behind the portal's premature shutdown could be the result of one of the inner chamber's hairline fuses breaking." The teen turned to his parents, hoping that they would catch on to his attempt to save face with the king. "I heard a loud snapping sound coming from inside the portal, and I'm pretty sure that I saw a brief flash before the machine began to power down. If a hairline fuse burn-out is what's causing the problem, then it can eas-"

"Do not waste our time with your nonsense, _boy_." Ignacius pompously cut in. "There's no use in trying to make excuses for the incompetency displayed by your parents. You're only disgracing them even further by trying to pass off your pitiful defense as a reasonable explanation for your current quandary."

Danny glared angrily at the elderly man. The pretentious old fart's condescending words directed towards him didn't bother that much, but the young Fenton refused to let anyone get away with trying to humiliate his parents. "Now wait just a second, you decr-"

"I find it rather peculiar, _Lord Ignacius_," interjected a female advisor, "that you are so quick to deem this demonstration an outright failure. It's even more peculiar that you, the Royal _Cultural_ Advisor, have somehow become such a knowledgeable expert on the Fentons' machine that you automatically know that the young man's solution holds no merit." The woman had red hair that was starting to gray, but her hazel eyes showed that they hadn't lost their sharpness with her age, even with the pair of crescent shaped glasses that were positioned in front of them. She, too, wore a Royal Advisor medallion over her red robes, except the ribbon was colored a shade of forest green.

Ignacius' expression soured at having one of his fellow advisors speak to him in such a manner, but his tone didn't waver. "I do not mean to presume my proficiency in scientific matters, Lady Eva. I simply beli-"

"Considering that you're out of your element in regards to this experiment, your hastily-made judgment is completely unfounded, and should be treated as nothing more than a biased opinion." continued the now-identified Eva.

By now, the cultural advisor's face was turning an angry red. "Be that as it may, this poorly planned display is an insult to the crown. We should not have to endure such blatant ineptitude when our attention can be focused on more important matters!"

"What you are forgetting, Lord Ignacius, is that we do not live in a world of absolutes. Even the most thoroughly developed plans can still go awry without warning. A person's intelligence is not determined solely by how well they present their discoveries, it is also demonstrated by said person's ability to adapt to any given situation."

"Bah! What would someone like _you _k-"

"**SILENCE**!" King Agdar's angry voice echoed throughout the ballroom, drawing everybody's attention to him. The monarch's burning gaze focused solely on the most outspoken advisor in the room with great ferocity. "I grow weary of your constant interference, Ignacius. You speak of how our guests have wasted our time, when it is **you** who is guilty of that wrongdoing. Your behavior has been outright deplorable and is something that I'd expect to see in an insolent child bullying his peers, **not** a man of your age, let alone a member of _**my **_advisory council. If I so much as hear another word out of you, I ensure you that you _**won't**_ like the consequences." The old man's posture drooped from the monarch's reprimanding words, showing that the king's words had the intended effect on him. The elder had enough tact, however, to make sure that no one noticed the defiant glare that he aimed directly at his liege the moment the latter turned his attention back to the Fentons. "Now, to what purpose do these so called _hairline fuses _serve in regards to your invention?" Agdar asked, his facial expression and tone of voice much calmer than they had been mere moments ago.

"Er…right. Well, you see, Your Majesty," began Jack, "when building a machine as massive as the one you see before you, extra detailed work on individual parts is something of a necessity. To avoid disassembling and removing some of the more complex electrical components from within the inner chamber, my wife and I installed a set of fail-safes that would allow us to run maintenance on the interior without running the risk of shocking ourselves with the electrical current, accidentally damaging vital parts, or unintentional activating the machine. These fail-safes can break the portal's main electrical circuit in two different ways: it can be manually triggered by the flick of a switch, or it can be blown when the charge of the electrical current begins to overload the circuitry and burns out the hairline fuse." While the man was talking, Danny rummaged through one of the many bags that contained spare parts for the portal and withdrew an object that easily fit in the palm of his hand. The teen then handed the part to his father, who promptly held it up for everyone to see. "This is what a hairline fuse looks like."

Held in between his thumb and index finger was an object that was just barely bigger than a medium-sized metal nut. The bottom end was a small metallic base grooved like a bolt. Above the base was a small hemisphere composed of translucent glass. Within the center of the glass case was a thin metal stem that held a miniscule wire filament supported by two spokes. The fuse's appearance had several members of the audience pondering at how something so small could play such a significant role in the large machine, although there were a select few members (specifically Lady Eva, King Agdar, and even Princess Elsa) who thought that the part looked similar to one of Sir Humphry's experiments.

"Unfortunately, while these fuses are vital components to the portal, they have a tendency to be quite finicky at best." interjected Maddie, picking up where her husband had left off. "The wire filament that is necessary for this part to function properly needs to be of a specific metal, and be crafted at a specific width. The reason that we call this devise a _hairline fuse_ is because the only practical wire width that these fuses will accept is slightly thicker than a single strand of hair. This only complicates matters even further due to the fact that said specific metal becomes more brittle the thinner it becomes. As a result, this design flaw can lead to the fuse burning out prematurely. Hopefully, we can rectify this problem with further research on our prototype in order to find a more durable substitute to serve as the fuse filament. Additionally, we'd also like to possibly condense the overall size and mass of the portal."

Another murmur started among the advisors until Lady Eva spoke up. "How long would it take to locate and replace the broken fuse?

"Not long at all, madam," answered Jack, "about five minutes, tops. Once we disengage the main circuit from the control panel, a person can safely transverse inside the portal and replace the broken fuse." In one swift motion, Jack and Maddie turned the keys back to their "off" position and withdrew them. Almost instantaneously, the humming noise decreased in volume until it final ceased all together, and the plasma ion generators slowly flickered off. Jack then turned to his son. "I hate to ask this of you, Danny, but since you're already wearing your suit, would you mind-"

"-if I be the one to replace the fuse? Don't worry, Dad, I'm way ahead of you." finished the teen, who was already packing up the necessary tools in his pouch.

"I knew that I could count you." Jack then turned back to his audience. "While our son sees to the repairs, my wife and I will gladly answer questions that any of you may have about our portal at this time." Danny said nothing as he relit the lantern's wick. With his parents running a Q &amp; A session about their life's work, he was confident that he would have ample time to make the necessary repairs.

"May I come along with him?"

Danny nearly tripped over his own feet in surprise from the abrupt question. Focusing to where he heard the request, he and practically everyone else found themselves staring at a flustered-looking Princess Elsa. From the expression on her pretty face, the teen could see that the young royal didn't like suddenly being the center of attention.

"W-Well, I've never seen a machine as massive as this ghost portal, and I can't help but be curious as to what it looks like from the inside. Since it's currently inoperable, I was hoping that I'd might be able to get a glimpse of how the interior is built." explained the princess, her demeanor becoming meeker when she noticed the visiting family and her father's gaze were centered on her, "That is, if Mr. and Mrs. Fenton wouldn't mind granting me my request."

King Agdar sighed. "Elsa, my dear, while I am pleased to see that you have a vested interest in new scientific discoveries, it isn't proper to ask our guests such a grand-"

"Actually, Her Royal Highness' request isn't all _that _extreme, Your Grace. She's more than welcome to tag along with our son." interjected Jack, once again drawing everyone's attention upon himself. Instead of getting tongue-tied like any other person would, the large man simply remained calm as if he were entertaining old friends. He did, however, manage to give his son a sly wink, which made the young teen wary of what his parent was planning. "After all, it would be a shame to restrict a young mind's curiosity. Danny would be more than happy to give Her Majesty a tour of the portal's interior."

To the king's credit, the surprised expression on his face lasted for only an instant before he adopted a more neutral look. "That is very generous of you, Mr. Fenton, but it wouldn't be proper to treat your invention like a circus attraction."

"Nonsense, My Liege, the _Fenton Portal_ isn't some delicate house made of glass. Why, if it can withstand the constant strain of creating an energy field mainly composed of charged ectoplasm, then it can surely handle two people walking through its interior for some minor repair work."

Maddie, who was just as perplexed as the king, gently grabbed her husband's shoulder to get his attention. Before she could even ask what he was planning, the man subtly gestured towards something with his eyes. Looking to where he was "pointing", Maddie's eyes widened slightly at what she noticed: during the entire time that the conversation was taking place, Danny and Princess Elsa had been sneaking glances toward one another, only to abruptly avert their gaze and blush whenever they each other looking. She found the whole scenario charming yet disheartening at the same time. Although she thought that it was charming in the sense that there appeared to be a mutual attraction between her son and the Arendelle princess, it was also disheartening to know that nothing serious could develop between the two young teens due to the vast difference in their social statuses. That didn't mean, however, that she would actively try to prevent her son from interacting with the young royal.

"Yes, that's all very well, but is it safe? What if the machine-"

"-accidentally turns on while they're still inside? Not to worry, Your Grace, we've already taken the likelihood of such accidents occurring into consideration, and made the necessary precautions." finished Maddie, before she held up the large metal key that she and Jack had around their necks. "To turn on the portal, the main circuit that is housed within the control panel needs to be completed with these two keys. So long as we have the keys on our person, and the control panel remains undisturbed, there is no chance of the machine activating on its own."

Agdar's worrisome expression lessened considerably, but he still looked hesitant about letting his eldest child walk into the mouth of the strange machine. His parental instincts were blaring in his ears to keep Elsa as far away from the contraption as humanly possible. Since it was still in its experimental stage, there was the chance that something within the machine could go horribly wrong and possibly kill both his daughter and the Fenton boy. Yet when he noticed the platinum blonde's subtle pleading look aimed at him, however, he found it increasingly harder to say '_no_' to her. She was finally starting become more comfortable with being seen in public, and there hadn't been any incidents where she lost control over her cyrokinetic powers; he didn't want to jeopardize the progress she made by keeping her by his side. She was fourteen years old and it was about time that he showed more faith in her.

"Very well," he began, "if it is of no trouble with the Fentons, then you may accompany young Daniel, Elsa so long that a royal guard is with you." He then focused his attention back to Jack and Maddie. "My stipulation by no means shows my lack of faith in your abilities as inventors and scientists, but is simply a precaution any father would make just in case something happens."

"Completely understandable." answered Jack, before looking to his son. "What do you say, Dan-o?" Silence permeated the room as everyone's eyes focused on Danny as they awaited his answer. The whole situation was had just been made even more unsettling for the teen now that he knew that the princess _and_ a royal guard would be watching him work; it would've made things even worse if it turned out that he'd been wrong about the hairline fuse. He'd figuratively taken a stab in the dark about what had caused the portal's abrupt shutdown, and while he was sure about what he'd seen and heard, there was always a chance that his assumption was wrong. Once the guard announced to the council that there was something else wrong with the machine, that Ignacius prick would surely use the situation to his advantage to further discredit his family and utterly humiliate them. His gaze shifted back to Princess Elsa and was immediately ensnared by her eyes. It only took one glance into her pleading pools of glacial blue for him to realize that he couldn't back out even if he wanted to.

"Er, yeah, sure. I don't mind the…extra company." he answered awkwardly. His embarrassment quickly melted away once he saw Elsa's ecstatic look shining on her pretty face as she and a guardsman made their way towards him.

"Atta boy!" Jack returned his attention to Agdar and his council. "Now then, does anyone have any questions?"

"Yes, I have one about the portal's outer frame, Mr. Fenton. You previously mentioned how the portal is able withstand the stress of maintaining the ectoplasmic field necessary for creating the portal. Exactly what kind of metal did you use to construct these walls?" asked Lady Eva.

"Ah, that's an excellent question, milady. You see, we first tried to implement-"

Danny drowned out the rest of his father's explanation as he double checked to see that he had everything that he needed. Once he'd finished, the princess and her guard were standing by and waiting to be led inside the machine. Elsa smiled shyly at him, which prompted Danny to automatically smile back until he remembered that there was third person among them. Looking at the guard that was tasked to accompany them, the young teen gulped nervously as he gazed upon the imposing figure standing behind the princess. The royal protector looked to be in his early twenties, and had the physique of someone who was physically trained to be a soldier. Said guard was also staring at him as if he were just waiting for the young man to do something he deemed inappropriate, which only made Danny feel even more uneasy.

"_Randolf_, stop intimidating him. He's our guest." chided Elsa, who'd easily noticed source of the Fenton teen's discomfort. "I am so sorry about him. He's just recently joined the Royal Guard and he's eager to make a good first impression, though he has a habit of going a bit _overboard_ at times." she explained apologetically, all the while making sure to shoot the guard a warning look.

"Er, that's alright. At least it shows that he takes his duties seriously." Danny took two steps toward the mouth of the portal before turning back to his little tour group. "Well then, shall we?" With that, the group of three made their way into the portal. The moment she stepped inside the portal's threshold, Elsa felt as if she had entered into an entirely different world. She was fascinated by everything that she saw: the numerous slabs of metal bolted together, the small thin strands of copper that were embedded into the sides of the artificial cavern; the new environment was like nothing she'd ever seen before. Not even the locations that her novels described could compare to what she saw. As she walked further into the dark metal hollow, the blonde thought that the location was truly mesmerizing, especially with how the illumination from Danny's lantern further enhanced its mysterious charm. Glimpsing behind her, she noticed something large positioned around the portal's opening that made her stop in her tracks, which made Randolf stop as well.

"Um, excuse me, Danny?" The teen paused in his stride toward the first pair of fuses to see what the princess wanted. "The large clear structure that's just before the portal's aperture, is it made of glass or some kind of crystal?" Looking to where the royal was pointing, Danny instantly understood what she was talking about. The object in question had a shape similar to the _omega _letter in the Greek alphabet, and was tall enough to reach the top of the inner chamber. It looked to be nine feet thick, and made of hard transparent material.

"Ah, you've got quite the eye for minerals, Elsa-er I mean, Your Grace." Danny had to quickly catch himself from addressing her inappropriately. The look that Randolf sent him made it quite clear that the man wasn't amused with his slip-up, even with what little light that was radiating from the lantern.

"There's no need to worry about proper formalities, I'm not the type of princess that is easily offended by something so minor. Please, just call me Elsa, I'm perfectly fine with be addressed by my first name." the royal said reassuringly, noticing her guide's unease.

Her guard, on the other hand, didn't think that the idea was a good one. "Forgive me, Your Grace, but considering that he's but a-"

"_I __**said**__ that I'm fine with being addressed by my first name._" Elsa repeated in a stern manner, cutting off what Randolf was going to say. "I know that you have good intentions, Randolf, but please remember to be more courteous to our guests." The man had the decency to look repentant as the platinum blonde refocused her attention back to Danny. "I'm sorry, you were saying something about minerals?"

"Um, y-yeah." stuttered Danny. "I was saying that your second guess was actually spot-on. That huge structure is made entirely out of crystal; quartz crystal to be precise."

Elsa's eyes widened in disbelief as they immediately sought out the crystalline frame. "I…I've _never _seen so much quartz in one place before." she said in awe.

The young Fenton chuckled as he began inspecting the first fuse box. "Well, you might being seeing even more of that stuff if the broken fuse isn't in the first pair of boxes. There's another giant quartz structure in the very end of the portal."

"_Two _giant quartz rings?" Elsa's amazed expression whipped back to the teen so quickly that he could've sworn that her neck was going to break. "Why did your parents install so much quartz into their machine?"

"To help maintain the ectoplasmic field." Closing the first fuse box after seeing that the fuse was still intact, Danny made his way to the second box as he spoke. "In order for the ghost portal to work, the ectoplasmic energy needs to be held at a constant and stable level, otherwise the energy will either dissipate or cause a massive explosion. After several experiments, my folks discovered that quartz was the best substance for maintaining said field. That, and it also prevents the ghosts from using the portal to escape the Ghost Zone."

"_Ghost Zone?_ What's the _Ghost Zone_?"

"Oh, that's just what I call_ The Spectral Realm of the Deceased_. I figured that a shorter name rolls off the tongue much better than some long scientific description, don't you?" His joking smile shifted into a frown once he discovered that the second fuse was still functioning. "Well, there isn't anything broken in these two fuse boxes. Looks like we'll need to check the others, Elsa."

As Danny walked further into the portal, Elsa made sure to follow alongside him as close as possible in order to see more of the machine. Yet all too soon for her liking, an awkward silence settled among them. She couldn't think of anything to say since she was afraid that he was still upset about her keeping her identity a secret from him. She wanted to apologize to him, and had planned on doing so when she asked to go along with Danny. The princess figured that the privacy of the inner chamber would've given her the best opportunity, but Randolf's unexpected presence had put the kibosh on those plans, and there was no way that she could subtly bring up the topic without her guard catching on. Regardless of the difficulties that lay before her, Elsa reasoned that she'd have another chance soon enough; she just had to be patient.

"Er, excuse me," she began, catching Danny's attention, "I don't mean to bother you with my countless questions, but-"

"Oh, no, no, it's not a problem at all. Please, ask as many questions as you want." he comforted her.

"Well, I was wondering just what are your parents using to power their portal? A machine this massive must consume a lot of energy, and I have yet to hear of any power source that could be capable of providing an ample supply of energy on its own."

* * *

"Another excellent question, Lady Eva." said Maddie, unaware that the same question was being asked within the machine. After Jack had explained how the steel outer frames were crafted, the married couple guided the king and his advisors all around the machine; that is, all except for one, whom decided to stay behind.

"If you would all follow us, we can show everyone our invention's power source." added the woman, as she and her husband led the group towards the very back of their portal after they'd finished showing them all of the equipment attached to the outer frame's right side. There, a few feet from the frame's back end, stood a massive black cube that was wired to both corners of the main portal. All across the cube's surface were numerous medium-sized black metal boxes. Once the group was close to the strange cube, Jack removed one of the metal box's top covering to reveal a copper interior that contained a thin metal sheet. Inside the box were twelve cylinders held upright by a small stand and halfway submerged in a transparent blue solution. The small cylinders were constructed out of unglazed earthenware that each contained a metal rod, and were all interconnected by what appeared to be sizeable salt structures. The earthenware constructs were also filled with unknown chemical solutions that reached towards the middle of the individual rods. Out of the entire gathered crowd, only one person was able to identify the foreign objects.

"Electrochemical Cells?"

"Of course, _you'd_ be the one to immediately recognize them, Lady Eva." chortled Jack. "While their design is heavily influenced by John Frederic Daniell's work, what stands before you are not _**true **_Daniell cells. Despite the advancements that he made in his research, his original schematics proved to be incapable in properly powering our creation. Even if we had lined the entire outer frame with these cells, the portal would be active for barely two minutes at best. To remedy this situation, we've made several modifications to better suit our needs. For starters, we replaced the normal zinc sulfate solution that is normally used with a chemical solution of our own creation. Not only is our substitute capable of conducting an electrical charge for a longer period of time, but it can also store the energy and amplify it tenfold."

The woman's eyebrow quirked up in confusion. "That's quite the feat, but it doesn't explain how you managed to get the cells _charged_. The process would take months, possibly years, to complete."

Jack's grin only grew bigger. "You would be correct, Lady Eva, _if _we'd used _conventional means_. Instead of relying on a tedious and exhausting method, my wife and I decided to take page out of Benjamin Franklin's book, and utilize one of our world's naturally-occurring energy sources." The eyes of the king and his council widened exponentially, their shock so great that they all momentarily lost their voices.

* * *

"LIGHTNING?!" Elsa's exclamation echoed throughout the portal's chamber, which prevented the trio from hearing a similar shout sounding off from outside the machine. Even in the dim light, the princess's disbelieving expression could clearly be seen. "Your parents used _**real lightning **_to power up their electrochemical cells?!"

"Um…yeah? I mean, it's not like they could have used _artificial _lightning instead." joked Danny as he checked the third fuse box.

"But…But…it's _**lightning**_!" continued Elsa. "The very substance that the Greek god, Zeus, was said to wield as a weapon; the same natural phenomenon that has caused forest fires during the summer season. Excuse my incredulous tone, but how did your parents manage to harness lightning's uncontrollable power?"

"Well, it's not like my parents decided to use it on a whim." tutted Danny, disappointed that the fuse was still working; his hopes for a quick repair were dwindling. "They had a friend who helped them get in contact with Benjamin Franklin, and asked him for some pointers on how to be as safe as possible when dealing with lighting; you know, aside from the number one rule: _don't go messing around with it in the first place_."

Regardless of the serious matter they were discussing, Elsa couldn't help but laugh at the young teen's dry wit. His unique sense of humor was certainly a nice change of pace from the prim and proper tone that the castle staff members always used when addressing her and her family. "All joking aside, how exactly did your parents manage to charge their power cells with lightning?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, their method was actually quite simple. They just built a massive lightning rod a few yards away from their workshop and wired their cells to it. After that, all they had to do was wait for a storm."

"_Really_? So how long did they have to wait?"

"Oh, not that long. As a matter of fact, my mom and dad managed to power up all of the cells in one go, all thanks to a storm that occurred about five days ago. It made for quite the light show in the night's sky."

Elsa shook her head in amazement. "I can't believe that you got to witness something so spectacular."

Danny jolted to a sudden stop, his sheepish expression confusing the princess. "Er…yeah. Well, you see, I probably should mention that my parents' workshop also just happens to be in our house's basement."

Elsa gaped at the young man in disbelief. "Come again?" The sheer audacity of what the Vennskapalan had experienced just seemed too absurd to be real, but his serious tone of voice left no room for doubt that he was telling the truth.

"But don't worry, no one was hurt." Danny quickly assured her. "It was actually kind of fun, in a terrifying sort of way. My sister and I got the chance to witness a sight that not many could claim to have seen. We even made a bet with each other to help us keep calm: what would destroy our home first, the lightning or the explosion caused by the overloaded electrochemical cells. Fortunately, neither of us won."

At first Elsa said nothing, her awe was so great that she couldn't think of anything to say in response to his tale. Suddenly, a giggle broke through her restraint, which gradually developed into a small bout of laughter. "I must say, Danny, you live quite the exciting life."

That comment had Danny at a loss for words; he never thought that he'd ever hear such a compliment from a princess, let alone a cute one around his own age. He immediately felt his cheeks burn when he became aware of what he was thinking, and was thankful that the fourth fuse box managed to hide his blush. "Er…well, I don't think that my life is really _that _exciting. I mean, compared to your life, everything that I encounter is just so trivial and…boring."

She shook her head. "I disagree. Getting to go outside your home by yourself, being able to interact with your friends and peers, it must be nice to have such freedom. I can't help but feel envious of you in that regard." Elsa truly meant it what she said. Ever since she adopted her more reclusive lifestyle, the platinum blonde had often longed for things to go back to the way they were before the incident. She missed having fun with her little sister, the hugs from her parents, and even something as boring as watching people visit the castle without having to hide away like a ghost. That was why she'd been so excited about attending the demonstration, even if things hadn't gone according to plan. It gave her hope that she'd eventually get a chance to have old life back.

Meanwhile, Danny was even more grateful that the princess couldn't see his darkening cheeks. Hearing a princess of all people admit that she was slightly jealous of his life floored him, and made him wonder as to what the princess had to endure.

"You certainly have a way words, Elsa." he murmured with a small grin, until he took notice of the fourth box. "Aw, dammit."

Elsa swiftly became concerned by the sudden change in his attitude. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing, which is the part of the problem." Seeing her confused look, Danny explained in further detail. "I was hoping that the broken fuse was located in either the first or second set of fuse boxes, and that we wouldn't have to bother checking the last pair. It looks like that we have no choice now." he finished with a sigh.

"Is there anything wrong with the last fuse boxes?"

Danny shook his head. "No, not really. It's just that they're located so far down the chamber, right where the charged ectoplasm first gathers before it's used to form the energy field necessary for the portal to work. Although the power's been cut off, I can't help but feel uneasy about being in that section." He then noticed Elsa becoming anxious, and her guard looking quite unsettled. "But don't worry, it's completely safe! My parents put in months of research and experiments to make sure that all of the fail safes worked properly, so we'll be fine." That seemed to put the princess more at ease. Randolf, on the other hand, still looked uneasy about traveling further into the portal, yet he said nothing as they continued on their way.

The two teenagers remained silent as they continued walking, neither of them knowing what to say to each other. All the same, the silence that had settled between them was incredibly stifling. Just the sound of their footsteps echoing throughout the metal cavern made the situation all the more uncomfortable. Danny desperately wanted to break the silence, but he didn't know what he could possible talk about without making him sound like a complete oaf. Fortunately for him, the princess was the first to break the silence.

"I'm sorry, Danny." she said, quietly.

The young man was caught off guard by her words. "Er…excuse me?"

"I just wanted to say that…I'm sorry for what happened back in the ballroom. For the way that Lord Ignacius spoke to you and your family, as well as for…_everything else_…that happened." she continued, hoping that he understood that she was subtly referring to how she kept her royal status a secret during their first encounter. It hadn't been her intention to keep such important information a secret, but she just wanted to be seen as a normal girl, even if it was for a brief moment. The chance of being able to personally interact with someone her own age was so rare, and she was afraid that her title would've intimidated him into behaving like any other person when in the presence of royalty. "What I'm trying to say is th-"

"It's alright, Elsa." Danny cut in, a kind smile on his visage. "Although I appreciate the gesture, there's really no reason for you to apologize. I don't blame you for what happened, honest. The past's in the past, so there's no point in stressing about it, right?" he finished with a subtle wink.

It took a brief moment for the blonde to pick up on the teen's underlying message, but she returned his smile all the same. The atmosphere between the two teens became much more amicable from then on in as the group continued to walk.

"Alright, this is it: the last set of fuse boxes." Danny's comment snapped Elsa's out of admiring the craftsmanship of the inner portal chamber, and brought her back to the present. "And if you look further ahead, you can see the second quartz ring." Shifting her gaze towards the aforementioned area, she noticed the final crystal construct further down the chamber. Unlike the first ring that was stationed at the portal's opening, the second one had several sizable metal spokes piercing through the ring's shank, with the tips meeting at the center. The lantern's light cast the crystalline construct in a darker and ominous ambiance, giving it quite the foreboding aura. In spite of the eerie vibe she was getting from the construct, Elsa found herself unable to tear her gaze from it.

Danny, on the other hand, was beginning to feel the pressure building on him as he replaced the cover of the fuse box he'd been inspecting. He'd already checked five fuse boxes and _still_ couldn't find the broken part. The small doubt that had been sitting in the back of his mind was growing bigger and bigger, making him feel even more nervous than before. He could practically hear his own heartbeat as he walked towards the sixth fuse box.

'_Oh-kay. This is the last one…the last chance to fix the portal and save the demonstration. If this fuse turns out to be fine, then my parents are going to be humiliated. And no doubt that ancient, pompous prick Ignacius will rub this whole mess in their faces._' Danny thought with great trepidation. '_Come on, broken fuse…broken fuse._' Flipping open the hatch, he eyes widened in exhilaration at what he saw.

"Yes! Broken Fuse!" he exclaimed, only to flinch in embarrassment once he remembered that he wasn't alone. "Er…sorry about that. I just got a little bit excited." He continued to examine the fuse box to see if there were any more broken parts as his "tour group" approached closer to get a better look, and was relieved to see that only the fuse needed to be replaced. The young teen felt as if a large uncomfortable weight had slipped off of his chest and that he could breathe more easily. He tried to get straight to work, but found the task difficult to accomplish while simultaneously holding the lantern.

"Here, let me help." offered the princess. Before he could say anything, Elsa's gloved hands grasped the lantern by its handle and held it up high enough so that adequate amount of light shined down on the fuse box. Momentarily surprised by the royal's considerate gesture, Danny gave a short nod to express his gratitude before focusing his attention back to the task at hand. The first thing that he made sure to do was to flip the box's breaker switch to disconnect the circuit and ensure that he didn't get electrocuted when replacing the fuse. Withdrawing a screwdriver from his pouch, he unfastened the protective latch covering the fuse, and unscrewed the broken part. Slipping the useless item into another pouch, he then quickly screwed in the replacement and reattached the latch. After double checking the box to see that all of the parts were in their correct places, Danny moved to reconnect the circuit. Neither he nor the two Arendelleans were aware of the danger that was quickly approaching them.

* * *

_Outside the Portal_

_**CRASH!**_

The loud noise was as abrupt as it was ominous, bringing an immediate halt to all conversations among the group of adults standing behind the portal.

"What was that?" asked Maddie.

_**CRUNCH!**_

The second commotion made the scientists cringe. "Whatever it is, it's coming from the front of the portal." commented Jack, before he and Maddie both came to the same terrible realization.

"The control panel!" they exclaimed in unison. In the blink of an eye, they dashed towards the front of the machine with the royal procession following closely behind them.

_**CRACK!**_

As the sounds of destruction continued, the Fentons' fears worsened as they sped towards the source of the disturbance. Hundreds of possible causes for the noise were running through their minds as they approached the front of the ballroom, but they were nonetheless shocked to see Lord Ignacius standing before the portal's heavily damaged and sparking control panel. The fact that he was holding his cane high above his head gave everyone a clear indication of what the old man's intended to do

"No! Don't do it!" pleaded Maddie, but her words fell on deaf ears.

_**SMASH!**_

With one last mighty swing, Ignacius slammed his cane onto the control panel, sending parts flying and causing the console to spark even more wildly. His deed down, the advisor quickly turned towards the ballroom's double doors and stared to hobble to his escape.

"You idiot! What have you done?!" Jack bellowed after the fleeing elder.

"Guards! Seize him at once!" The two guards closest to the monarch immediately obeyed their king's order, and sped after the culprit. Despite his head start, Ignacius was promptly subdued and forcibly dragged towards the king and the rest of his council, all the while futilely struggling to break free of the guards' hold. Meanwhile, the Fentons were ignoring the confrontation entirely in order to assess the damage to the control console and determine how to repair it as quickly as possible.

"What the _**bloody hell**_ do you think you're trying to pull, Ignacius?!" demanded Agdar, once the wayward advisor was before him.

_**THOOM!**_

_**WwwwwwwwhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrRRRRRRRMMMMMMMMM…**_

Everyone's uneasy eyes whipped to where they heard the sound, only for them to realize that the commotion was coming from the portal and was steadily getting louder. To make matters worse, the plasma ion generators began to glow brilliantly, and blue electrical sparks began to dance across the outer metal frame.

"The ghost portal…it's been activated!" exclaimed Lysander.

King Agdar shifted his focus to the two scientists at the damaged control panel. "Hurry and shut it down before the ectoplasmic field is formed!"

"We're trying, but the controls aren't responding!" replied Maddie frantically.

"What?!"

"When your daft imbecile of an advisor took his cane to the panel, he damaged it to the degree that a short circuit was created!" declared Jack. "That short circuit not only managed to bypass the normal activation circuit that can only be completed with our keys, but it also completely fried the panel's emergency kill switches _and _destroyed the controls that regulate the machine's ectoplasm generators! Without those fail-safes, the ectoplasmic field could overload and cause the entire machine to explode!"

Without warning, large showers of electrical sparks erupted from the outer frame's sides, much to the scientists' horror. "The manual kill switches! Maddie, come on, there's no time to waste!" Without another word, the large man and his wife raced towards the machine.

"Now do you see, _Agdar_?" asked Ignacius, his tone twice as arrogant and haughty as it normally was, but it now had a darker edge to it. It was a side of the man that the king and his council had never seen before. "_This _is the true nature of that wretched cesspool Vennskapal and their so-called science. _This _is what awaits those foolish and naïve enough to associate themselves with such filth: danger and despair! And now, by allowing those buffoons to bring their blasphemous creation into our lands, you've doomed all of Arendelle!"

"There was nothing wrong with their invention! Our current situation only came to be after _you_ sabotaged the machine, you fanatical, superstitious idiot!" exclaimed Eva furiously.

"The outcome would've been the same, you conceited bitch!" the cultural advisor snarled. "My actions only helped expose these accursed _ghost worshippers_ for what they truly are: vile, self-absorbed reprobates; degenerates who relish in spreading their perverted obsessions across this pure world!"

Agdar's furious glare deepened. "The only self-absorbed reprobate that I see is _**you**_, old man! Have you forgotten that **my daughter**, _**YOUR PRINCESS**_, as well as the Fentons' son and one of our guardsmen are still inside that machine?! Have you no shame at the fact that your fanatical actions have put three innocent lives at stake?!"

"_They've forsaken their innocence the moment they ventured inside that affront to the natural world_." The dead seriousness in Ignacius' voice was as rigid as steel. "My _fanaticism_, as you call it, is for the just cause of preserving our pure world, and I'm willing to sacrifice anything to accomplish that goal."

_**SNAP!**_

_**BBZZRRKKTT! **_

_**VVZZTT!**_

"NO! Jack, none of the fail safes on my side are responding!"

"God damn it, neither are mine! That last power surge must have damaged the vital circuitry! All of the switches on my end have been completely wrecked!"

The king felt his blood turn to ice as he heard those exclamations, the severity of the situation settling in. His gaze veered back to the malfunctioning ghost portal. The inner chamber's bright green glow increasing in intensity with each passing second, and its outer frame sparking like mad. Agdar made a mad dash towards the portal's entry, only for two more members of his guard to grab hold of him and stop him in his tracks. The king desperately tried to shake himself free, but the guards' grip was too strong.

"NO! Let go of me this instant!" Agdar demanded desperately. "I have to save my daughter! Elsa! ELSA!"

* * *

_Concurrently, Within the Portal_

The moment Danny reset the breaker switch, he knew that something had gone terribly wrong. Once the circuit was reconnected, the sounds of something being repeatedly smashed drew his attention back towards the portal's opening. Any thoughts of investigating the disturbance was immediately put on hold when a sudden burst of electricity coursed through the circuitry embedded into the chamber's wall, causing each set of fuse boxes to spark wildly as the surge traveled past them and stopped at the last quartz ring.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" exclaimed a bewildered Randolf. "Was it supposed to do that?"

"Danny, what's happening?" asked Elsa worriedly.

"I-I don't know. The power to the portal was cut off by my parents; I saw it myself. The only way that the machine can be reactivated is through the cont-"

_**THOOM!**_

_**WwwwwwwwhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrRRRRRRRMMMMMMMMM…**_

Danny felt his heart skip a beat the moment he heard the portal's generators start up. Gazing back at the quartz ring, his fears only worsened when he saw its spokes slowly began to glow green. Hearing the gasps from the other two people with him, it was safe to assume that they too understood the dire significance of the machine's noises. Without a word, Danny turned back to the fuse box he'd just repaired and flipped the breaker switch, but nothing happened.

"What?!" Danny flipped the switch back and forth several more times, hoping that he could somehow cut off the power, yet his efforts were futile. "No, no, no, no, no, no, _**NO**_!" Taking another glance at the open fuse box, Danny was horrified to see that several of the components had been damaged by the surge.

"Danny?" queried Elsa once more, but the teen in question was too busy trying to work out a solution to their dilemma.

"You, Randolf!" he said suddenly, instantly grabbing the attention of the guard. "Get to the fuse box on the side! Quickly, we've got to act now if we want to shut this thing down!"

After getting over his momentary shock, the guard quickly did what was asked of him. "Alright, I'm at the box! Now what?"

"We're going to try and break the circuit using the kill switches as an entire set instead of just relying on a single one!" replied Danny, hoping that his last-ditch idea would work. "On my signal, flip the switch! NOW!" The two males flipped their respective kill switch, but the noise continued to get louder, and the green glow grew even brighter. "Reset the switches, and try one more time! _**NOW**_!" The duo repeated the action once more, but the machine continued to power up.

Danny banged his fist against the fuse box in frustration. Their predicament was steadily degrading with each passing second: the humming was getting louder, the intensity of the green glow was becoming stronger, and arcs of electricity began to leap off of the protective layers. The last observation was especially troubling to the young teen, as it meant that all of the safeguards against abnormal electrical currents had all simultaneously failed. On top of the fact that the glowing green energy was behaving in a way that he'd never seen during any of the machine's trial runs, it was clear that the ectoplasmic field that the portal was creating was going to be far more unstable and dangerous than the ones that were usually formed. There was only one thing left to do.

"We've got to get out of here, _**now**_!" Danny shouted over the portal's loud racket. "Hurry, before the electric discharges overload the ectoplasmic field generators!" Not waiting for any further explanation, the group sped towards the portal's opening as large showers of sparks began to sporadically explode from the chamber. Bolts, nuts, and even chunks of the metal walls were being blown off, making their escape all the more hazardous. In response to the new peril, Randolf positioned himself in front of the two teens in order to shield them from any falling debris. As they ran, Danny tried to think of a possible reason why the portal was malfunctioning so horribly. At the rate of how things were degrading, there was a high chance that the entire thing could explode and take half of the entire castle with it. The fallout from such a disaster would completely ruin his parents' reputation and guarantee that they'd spend the rest of their lives in prison, or worse, be sentenced the death penalty! If that worst case scenario came to be, then he and his sister would have to relocate to a new country to escape the shame and scorn of both Arendelle and Vennskapal. The poor teen felt like his entire world was crumbling around him, just like the portal.

Then, without warning, the situation took another turn for the worse. The group had traveled about halfway across the portal when a large section of the chamber's interior broke loose with another large shower of sparks. The debris crashed onto the area they'd just passed with a loud _**bang!**_, making the ground tremble from the impact. Danny nearly stumbled from the powerful tremors, but managed to keep his balance. Ahead of him, Randolf had experienced the same problem but had also managed to continue running towards the exit.

"AAHH!"

Hearing the distressed cry Danny chanced a quick glance behind him, only to gasp in horror and skid to a halt once he glimpsed at the sight that lay before him. Princess Elsa was lying on the ground, in front of the newly-created pile of wreckage. She quickly tried to scramble back onto her feet, only to trip and collapse onto the ground once more. Looking down, she immediately noticed that her foot was entangled with several wires that were integrated into a large jagged slab of metal. The princess frantically tried to free herself, but in her panicked state she found the task virtually impossible. Behind the distressed royal, the glow of the ectoplasmic energy coalescing in the center of the rear quartz ring continued to increase in brilliance, signifying the near completion of one overcharged ectoplasmic field. Danny turned back to the opening to call for Randolf's help, but the guard was too far away to hear anything over all of the commotion. Gazing back at Elsa, who continued to desperately free herself, Danny found himself a proverbial fork in the road. He could either put his life in unnecessary danger to save a young princess who would most likely forget about him in a month's time, or do the smart thing and save himself before the entire portal failed completely. The internal strife between the heart and brain, altruism and self-preservation, made the young man feel as if his head was being pulled in two different directions at once. It was only when he saw the unadulterated fear and despair in Elsa's eyes that he made his decision. Ignoring the more logical part of his mind, Danny ran back towards the trapped princess. He paid no attention to the restrained king desperately calling out to his daughter, nor did he take notice of Randolf being thrown out of the portal from the force of a massive fiery explosion moments after he'd finally noticed the predicament further back and started to rush towards them to help. In that one brief moment, everything around him faded away until all that was left was the young royal and himself.

"Hang on, Elsa!" he exclaimed, catching the platinum blonde's attention. Skidding to a stop in front of her, he quickly crouched down and tried to free the royal's leg. In spite of his best efforts, the tangled mess was too severe for him to remove by his hands alone. Grabbing a small dagger that he kept in one of his pouches in case of emergencies, Danny began hacking away at the wires. It was tiresome work but he knew that he couldn't afford to give up, not with the ectoplasmic energy condensing at such dangerous levels. Any second now, the collected energy stored within the rear quartz ring would be expelled towards the exterior one to form the ectoplasmic field necessary for the portal. From the multiple lectures that his parents had often given him and his sister, ectoplasmic energy was extremely dangerous if it ever made direct contact with the human body, which was why the adults were almost seen wearing their work suits. Just from a cursory glance at the abnormally large amount of the green energy coalescing behind them, he was fairly sure that they would die instantly if they didn't escape in time.

"Danny, hurry! Please hurry!" cried Elsa, her terrified eyes darting to the glowing quartz ring.

"I am!" shouted Danny as he managed to sever half of the wires. "I'm almost done! Just hold on a little bit longer!" he reassured her, hastening his efforts in cutting the remaining entangled mess while occasionally glancing back behind them. The moment the last wire was cut, Danny immediately tossed the small blade to the side, scooped Elsa up into his arms, and made a break for the exit. The fact that she was being carried like newlywed bride didn't register to the young princess as she was too scared to be embarrassed at being held in such an intimate manner. She only had time to clasp her hands behind his neck for support, and hope that they'd be able to escape in time.

_**RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM…**_

The generator's loud whine brought the princess' attention back towards the rear of the machine. The intensity of the ectoplasm's glow had increased to such a degree that she couldn't look directly at it, which she could only assume was a sign that the ring was going to release the energy it had been collecting. Turning back to what was in front of them, she was disheartened at what she saw. Even though she could see her father struggling to break free of the guards restraining him and a few members of the royal council standing further back, the princess could easily tell that they had a fairly long way until they reached the exit.

"We're not going to make it!" she lamented.

Danny said nothing at first, trying to concentrate all of his energy into proving the girl in his arms wrong. In spite of his vigorous efforts, however, it was quickly becoming apparent that he just couldn't run fast enough while carrying another person. He fruitlessly tried to think of a way to save both the princess and himself, but nothing came to him. Just as he was about concede defeat, Danny saw something up ahead that gave him hope: a battered and somewhat burned Randolf running straight towards them. As much as it was a relief to see the guard coming back to help, a new sense of trepidation traveled down the young man's spine. If Randolf ran up to meet them, then they'd be wasting what precious time they had left to escape. On top of that, even if the young guardsman came to their aid, there was no guarantee that all three of them would make it to safety. There was one plan that would ensure that at least two people could escape the portal safely, but the concept of actually going through with it made him feel as if a large pit had formed in his stomach. He'd often heard tales of brave souls who'd made the same choice and how glorious their actions were, but now that he was actually placed in such a situation, he found that the entire ordeal wasn't as appealing as it had been made out to be. Despite his own hesitancy, Danny steeled his nerves for what he was about to do.

"No. No, we aren't," he said, much to Elsa's confusion, "_but you are_!" Without warning, Danny firmly planted his left foot on the ground and vigorously turned his body into a counterclockwise spin. Using his forward momentum to accelerate his spin, the teen catapulted Elsa from his arms the moment he was facing the exit once again. The bewildered royal was completely caught off guard by the sudden action. Time seemed to slow to a snail's pace as she flew through the air, her eyes solely focused on the teenage boy as she tried to comprehend the reason behind his actions. It was only when she felt Randolf catch her that time "returned" to its normal pace and she finally understood what he'd just done.

"Danny…"

She was broken from her trance when the guardsman immediately about-faced and tore down the chamber, leaving the young man behind.

"No!" she protested, struggling against the man's grasp. "Stop! Randolf, please, we have to stop and go back! Danny needs our help!" She managed to position herself so that she was able to look over the adult's shoulder. Sure enough, Danny was still running right behind them, trying desperately to catch up. Her distress worsened when she saw him trip over an upturned metal plate and crash hard onto the ground.

"DANNY!" Elsa desperately tried to break free from Randolf's hold, but it was to no avail. All she could do was watch as the distance increased between her and the young teen. She didn't even take notice of when they finally got back into the ballroom. "Danny! Danny, _**no**_! Let go of me, Randolf! Let me go! Please, we need go back! He's still inside the portal!" Her pleas were met with deaf ears as everyone standing in front of the machine fled far away from its opening, just mere moments before the unstable ectoplasmic field finally formed.

_**KERSHOOM! **_

"**YYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!**"

Even though all those present in the room had shut their eyes, the vibrant green glare could still be partially seen through their eyelids. The bloodcurdling scream that filled the entire room made the disaster all the more ghastly to bear, but none of the Arendelleans were as affected as Elsa. Even though Randolf was shielding her with his own body she could still hear Danny's pained screams, which only worsened the mental images of the young man's dreadful fate that assaulted her mind.

"DANNY!" cried his parents from behind their invention, horrified at what was happening to their son. Jack was the first to break out his trance and rushed to one of the decorative suits of armor that lined the room, where he yanked the displayed poleaxe free and then dashed back to the power supply. Bringing the weapon high up above his head, he brought it down with all of his might. The blade easily sliced through the thick cable, cutting off the power to the portal. With no more electricity running through its circuits, the generators gradually powered down, the green glow faded until it vanished completely, and the outer frame stopped discharging erratic sparks. Deathly silence permeated the area as the room's occupants came to grips with what had taken place right in front of them. As Jack and Maddie rushed to where everyone else was standing, one person managed to recover from her shock faster than the rest.

"Get away from me!" demanded Elsa, shoving Randolf back before leveling a furious glare at the man. "How could you?! How could you just turn your back on him like that?!"

Randolf was stunned by the sudden ferocity in the normally-collected princess' words. "Your…Your Grace, I-"

"_**No**_! No, I don't want to hear your excuses!" the young royal interrupted. "If you could've afforded to go back into the portal to save me, then you should've been able to rescue Danny as well! Instead you _**left**_ him there to die as if he was nothing; as if his life didn't matter!"

"Elsa," interjected Agdar, "I know that you're upset, but Randolf was just doing his duty in keeping you safe."

"I know that, Father, but that doesn't…that doesn't take away from the fact that an innocent person just died!" Tears began to well up in her eyes as her thoughts drifted towards the young Vennskapalan. "He was so young, probably around my age! He had his whole life ahead of him, and yet he willingly sacrificed it to save my own! That's just…That's just…" The princess's grief soon became too much to bear as her quivering legs finally gave out and she fell to her knees. Her gaze remained solely focused on the hardwood floor so as to conceal her tears from everyone, but she was still unable to hold back her mournful sobs.

Agdar remained silent as he engulfed his eldest daughter in a gentle, comforting embrace. He, too, was deeply saddened by what had befallen upon the young lad, especially since the entire accident had been caused by one of his advisors. He was surprised by the boy's courage and was extremely grateful of how selflessly he'd acted to save his daughter, but he was still disheartened that the young Vennskapalan had died in such a gruesome way. What made the ordeal even worse was that his daughter had practically witnessed the entire debacle as it all took place. The king didn't know what to say to alleviate his child's anguish without unintentionally sounding callous, so he instead settled to consoling the distraught princess.

At that moment, the Fentons arrived at the scene of commotion. Just from observing all of the somber looks that the royal advisors (barring Ignacius) were giving the two scientists, the sight of the king soothing his weeping daughter, the absence of their son, and the wisps of smoke that were rising from their heavily damaged invention, it didn't take long for the married couple to conclude what had happened. Maddie quickly felt faint and would have collapsed to the ground had Jack not caught her in time. His wife grasped onto him, her entire body trembling with grief and her tears streaming freely down her cheeks. Jack said nothing as he returned the embrace, silently crying with his wife. What began as an once-in-a-lifetime chance to make a name for their family had turned into an outright fiasco.

"_Uuuggghhh…_"

Everyone's attention was instantaneously drawn to the mouth of the portal, bewildered at the sudden noise. The voice sounded awfully familiar and they all knew who was last seen inside the chamber, but the idea of said person still being alive was too far-fetched to believe.

"_Uuurrgghhh…_"

The voice sounded louder that time, indicating that its owner was moving towards them. Confused and alarmed mutterings erupted among the crowd began to fill the ballroom at the sudden development. Elsa felt so many different emotions whirling inside her that she was amazed that she managed to keep her powers in check. She sped off towards the portal's opening, followed closely by the Fentons, her father, and several members of the advisory council.

"Danny! Are you alright? How did you surv-" Elsa stopped abruptly, her shock rendering her speechless. The people behind her were just as stunned the instant they gazed upon what was approaching them.

The figure that lumbered out of the portal looked like Danny, but he was hunched over and had his arms crossed in front of his chest. His eyes were clenched shut and he was shivering as if he was chilled to the bone. It was only when he finally walked into the light that it became apparent that the young man had underwent several drastic changes. The one of the most noticeable change was that the color scheme of his work suit had been inversed, leaving him dressed in a predominately black suit with white areas around his lower legs, waist, lower arms, and neck. Although his skin still retained its tanned hue, it now looked eerily pale due in part to the faint silvery aura that encased his whole body. All of the color in his spiky raven locks had faded until his hair was as white as freshly fallen snow, further enhancing his spectral appearance.

As he continued to slowly stagger forward, his form started to phase in and out of visibility at random intervals. The gathered people were left thunderstruck as they watched the young man's skin went transparent to varying degrees, giving them brief glimpses of the bones and muscles that made up his body. There were even fleeting moments where he vanished completely from sight, only to become visible once again. It was the last change, however, that really grabbed Elsa's attention the most. Every time that Danny took a step forward, a small patch of frost would form where his feet made contact with the hardwood floor. Small ice particles trailed behind him as he moved towards the gathered group, giving him the appearance of someone who'd been stuck in a heavy blizzard for hours. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks, frost forming in a sizable circumference around him. Then, as he slowly raised his head, Elsa and everyone else finally got a good look at Danny's eyes. Gone were the pale sky blue orbs that he had before entering the portal, and in their place were a pair of bright green eyes that seemed to glow. Ghostly green met glacial blue for but an instant as a thin blue vapor of mist trailed out of the teenage boy's mouth, before his eyes finally fluttered shut as he lost consciousness and collapsed onto the floor. An even larger blanket of frost expanded across the wooden boards from where he'd fallen, eliciting startled gasps from the gathered advisors.

"_**Danny**_!" His parents rushed past the princess to get to their son. Maddie was the first to reach the downed teen and tried to turn him onto his back. Her hand had barely made contact with him before she sharply pulled it back with a surprised yelp.

"Maddie, what's the matter?"

"It's Danny, Jack, he's freezing cold to the touch!" exclaimed Maddie while strongly shaking her hand in order to regain the feeling in her fingertips.

"Let me see him! Out of the way, let me through!" ordered another woman dressed in red robes as she pushed her way through the gathered crowd. She had light brown hair that reached her shoulders and had small crow's feet near the corners of her eyes. Around her neck was a silver Advisor medallion held in place by a white ribbon. When Jack saw the woman approaching them, he immediately positioned himself protectively in front of his family. One of the king's advisors had already harmed his son, and he was sure as hell not going to let another one harm his family again.

"You stay away from us!" the large man snarled. The woman was temporarily startled by the animosity in the scientist's words, but she quickly regained her resolve.

"Please, I can help your son. I'm not just a member of the Royal Council, Mr. Fenton, I'm also the castle's chief physician. I've studied under several accomplished doctors, and have had years of experience in treating a wide variety of maladies. If you'd let me, I'd very much like to help you and your family."

Jack remained silent as he stared directly into the woman's eyes, trying to peer into her very being to detect any sign of deceit or ill-will. After a brief tense moment, the man finally relented and stepped aside, allowing the woman to immediately rush toward Maddie and the unconscious teen. Tentatively reaching out to touch the young boy, she was quick to notice that young man's body temperature was a lot colder than that of a normal human being. The advisor swiftly divested herself of her red robes and draped them over Danny's prone form in order to help him retain what little body heat that he had.

"My lady, can you help our son?" asked Maddie desperately.

"There is no helping your wretched offspring, _Vennskapalans_!" exclaimed the restrained Ignacius. By now, he was looking quite deranged as he tried to break free of the guards' grip. His eyes focused solely on the Fenton family as a vindictive sneer formed on his face. "Do you now see the folly of your sacrilegious ideals, you filthy heretics?! You lot, who take obscene pleasure in corrupting the natural boundary between life and death, all for the sake of your perverted sense of scientific research?! What lies before you is your fully deserved punishment for your abhorrent sins! That abomination that was once your son shall now serve as a constant remin-OOFFF!" Ignacius' tirade was violently silenced when one of the guards slammed his fist into the elder advisor's stomach, knocking the wind of the raving madman's lungs and leaving him gasping for breath.

"That's enough out of you, traitor!" roared Agdar. "Guards, lock this madman in the dungeon's most heavily guarded cell, where his deluded fanaticism can't do any more harm! I shall _personally _deal with him after this fiasco has been sorted out." The guardsmen silently carried out their liege's order, said madman remained silent as he tried to get his breathing back to normal. Meanwhile, while everyone's attention was focused on Ignacius, the Head Physician was examining her patient. She placed the fabric over Danny's neck and pressed her index and middle fingers against his jugular vein. The woman also slipped off her medallion and positioned the metal part in front of his nostrils for good measure. Her spirits lifted when she felt his heartbeat throb against her fingertips and saw his breath fog up her medallion.

"Your Grace, the boy is still alive!" she declared, instantly gaining everyone's surprised attention.

"Our…Our son lives? He truly lives?!" Jack's normally confident voice had taken on a desperate tone, as if he were afraid that simply inquiring about his child's well-being would somehow be enough to worsen Danny's condition. Maddie didn't even dare speak a word, her gaze centered solely on the doctor.

"Are…Are you quite certain, Nora?" asked Agdar, who was still trying to overcome his disbelief that the young man had managed to survive.

"I…I believe so, Your Grace. The boy has a pulse and he's still breathing, but I don't know how deeply these altercations affect him. There's a chance that these changes are causing more damage to his body than we know. I need to get him to the infirmary to conduct some more tests in order to find out for sure, and whether or not his condition be reversed." She then turned to face her king. "I'd also need to examine your daughter and Randolf as well, Sire, if only to ensure that they haven't been affected by the portal and to treat any wounds they might have received."

Nobody objected to Nora's proposal. Jack carefully picked up Danny in his arms, all the while making sure that the red robes were still draped over his body, and then followed Nora as she led him and Maddie to the infirmary. The king guided Elsa out of the ballroom right after the Fentons, followed shortly by a guardsman and Randolf with the former helping the latter limp along. But even as she was being escorted out of the room, her gaze remained focused on smoking warped frame of the _Fenton Ghost Portal _and the patch of frost on the hardwood floor. One thought continuously raced through her mind.

'_What have I done?_'

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

**So there you have it: Danny's accident with his parents' ghost portal has forever changed his life. But unlike the original canonical event, this version of the accident has resulted in one ghost power developing a lot earlier than it did in the television series. Even though this recent development now gives these two teens something they can both relate to, the entire fiasco was quite sudden and dramatic. How will Danny react to his changes once he wakes up? What's going through Elsa's mind in light of what she'd just witnessed? Can Jack and Maddie find a way to reverse their son's condition? And what's going to happen to the unstable Ignacius in as a result of his actions? Find out next time on **_**A TALE OF GHOSTS AND **_**_ICE_!**

**Okay, as of this moment, this is the longest chapter that I've written for this story and it has taken me even longer than I'd would've liked for me to finally get it written. I just don't understand it. I had what I wanted to write while I was in the shower, walking to class, and eating meals, yet my mind went completely blank when I got in front of a keyboard. And of course, college classes take up a lot of time. Anyways, I hope that you enjoy reading this update. Please don't forget to Read and Review!**


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